DAUTOVIC CASE: Alford Plea For Former Officer

A former Des Moines police officer entered an Alford plea Friday to state charges related to a 2008 traffic stop.

Twenty-nine-year-old Mersed Dautovic was facing state charges of assault, felony misconduct, and perjury. His Alford plea means he doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence to convict him.

The judge sentenced him to five years in prison on the charges. The sentence is to run concurrently with the 20 month federal sentence for excessive force and obstruction of justice, also from the same case.

Dautovic’s former partner, John Mailander, was also charged in the case. He has pleaded guilty to both state and federal charges and is awaiting sentencing.