Former De Soto Police Officer Sentenced to Probation for Jailhouse Assault

Jefferson Co., Mo. (KFMO) - A former De Soto police officer has been sentenced to two years of probation for assaulting a handcuffed man during a booking at the jail.

According to court records, James Daly, of Imperial, was charged with three counts of assault in 2020 after he was caught on video grabbing a man’s hair while forcing him to look at a camera during the booking process. Surveillance footage also showed Daly pushing the man and later kneeing him to the ground.

Daly, along with former officer Bethany Zarcone, then dragged the man down a hallway after attempting to remove his shoes. Another officer, Allayna Campbell, was later charged with tampering with evidence for deleting photos related to the incident from a computer.

On January 30, 2025, Daly was sentenced to two years of probation.