Steven Zamiar had wanted to be a policeman for as long as he could remember – but now his life has turned upside down.
Earlier this month the 48-year-old appeared in court, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled at the ankles.
He was visibly distraught as he asked for forgiveness from his family, the community and his unfortunate victim.
He was once the deputy chief of the Midlothian Police Department. He had spent over a decade with the force and worked his way up to becoming second in command.
In 2013 he was fired after an indictment.
He failed to realize that his brutal attack on an innocent man would land him behind bars.
In 2011 he charged on a blameless victim and beat him several times with a metal baton.
James Snyder was one of the many patrons coming out of Durbin’s bar on Ciecro Avenue in the early hours of the morning on Thanksgiving Day four years ago.
Zamiar was on the lookout for any signs of trouble in the drunken crowd.
As the unsuspecting victim walked towards his girlfriend’s car, the cop approached him.
It is important to note that the deputy was in plain clothes at this time.
When Snyder saw him, the officer was holding his baton ready to attack.
Zamiar swung his weapons several times while chasing the perplexed man through the parking lot.
The former cop, who was “primed for a fight”, struck his victim many times and so severely that it left welts and bruises across his back and head.
Zamiar stood trial in December last year and earlier this month a US District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman sentenced him to 15 months in prison.
The judge described what he had done as unacceptable for a man in his position.
“You crossed the line from being a trusted authority figure to being an officer out of control,” he said.
While the perpetrator denied that the attack was unprovoked, his subordinate Sergeant Edmund Olmos agreed with Snyder’s account.
The jury took only two hours to reach the verdict that Zamiar had breached the civilian’s civil rights.
The prosecutors were originally hoping for a 7 ½ year sentence, which judge Coleman deemed inappropriate.
He noted that even the victim was not in favor of a lengthy prison sentence.
Assistant US Attorney Patrick Otlewski said senior members of law enforcement are held to a higher standard because their job is to set an example for the rest of the force.
This was not the first time that Zamiar had put on a cruel display of power.
He was once accused of kicking a handcuffed suspect in the face while he was on the ground.
On another occasion he gave a teenage hooligan two black eyes by repeatedly punching his face. In 2007 and accused man’s suffered a concussion while the aggressive officer was trying to arrest him.
In an apology Zamiar said he did not mean to hurt Snyder.
“My name will now be associated as part of a problem with law enforcement and I am truly sorry for that,” said the ex-cop.