INKSTER, Mich. – Floyd Dent is grateful.
He knows he could have gone to prison for 10 years. Instead, William Melendez, the former Inkster police officer who pulled him over and beat him is behind bars.
"Without all of you this never would have got exposed and I'd probably right now be serving time in prison," said Dent.
He still wants to know why Melendez acted with such force.
"I would like to ask him what was on his mind that night, the reason why he beat me like that," said Dent. "He had this look on his face, like it was unreal, like he was mad at the whole world."
Dent is grateful for prosecutors who saw the video and threw out charges against him. He's also grateful that an abusive cop no longer has a badge.
"They pulled me out of my own car and beat me. I have to think about that every day, but not no more because he is going to jail and is gonna suffer the same consequences I did," said Dent.
He was happy as he heard the two guilty verdicts, but he really wanted a conviction on the charge of strangulation because it happened, he said.
"He said he had me in a headlock. That wasn't a headlock. That was a chokehold and I could have died that night," said Dent.
Judge Vonda Evans revoked Melendez's bond and ordered him locked up immediately. Melendez is counting on her to be tough at sentencing.
Although Dent was beaten, he wants to be remembered as a fighter, who refused a plea deal because he was innocent.
"I said 'I'm going to fight and the whole fight was worth it," Dent said. "Everyday was a good day."