UNION PARISH, La. (WAFB) – Documents obtained by the WAFB I-TEAM show prosecutors wanted Ronald Greene’s family to sign a plea agreement two weeks ago for a Louisiana State Trooper charged in his death. They refused.

Retired trooper Kory York pleaded guilty this morning to drastically reduced charges in a case involving Ronald Greene, a black motorist who was beaten in north Louisiana in May 2019.

“We’re being ripped off, house hacked and this is an accepted murder,” Mona Hardin, Ronald Greene’s mother told the WAFB I-TEAM.

York was initially charged with negligent homicide and professional misconduct. In September, prosecutors dropped the charge of negligent homicide – the most serious charge York faced.

A month before that happened, the WAFB I-TEAM revealed York was allowed to retire from the Louisiana State Police despite the serious charges pending against him.

The Louisiana State Police Retirement System confirmed to WAFB that York retired with 27.10 years of meritorious service and receives a monthly benefit of $6,982.36. The bail deal offered to York will allow him to avoid prison as he collects close to $7,000 a month.

Greene was killed in May 2019 when troopers attempted to initiate a traffic stop and Greene fled. He crashed his car after the pursuit and when soldiers caught up with him he was alive and apologizing.

Body camera footage leaked to the media months later showed Greene being brutally beaten as he pleaded for his life. York was filmed by body-worn cameras pulling Greene into his ankle shackles and forcing him to lie in the dirt.

Documents obtained by the WAFB I-TEAM reveal that prosecutors drastically reduced the charges against York by charging him with eight counts of assault. It’s a document Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin said she refused to sign.

“Why would we sign it,” Hardin told WAFB-TV. “It’s an accepted murder.”

York’s appeal comes with the following sentence:

1. A parish jail term of up to six months, suspended, with active, supervised probation
2. Fines and court costs
3. A special condition of 160 hours of community service

“The lies, complicit cover-ups continue,” Hardin said. “The dots have always connected…the sheer audacity of these government paid officials working seamlessly between themselves to correlate killer cops caught, and my son Ronald Greene kicked to the curb like he was roadkill.”

A no-contest plea carries the same weight as a guilty plea in the eyes of the court, but legal experts say it cannot be used to enhance a civil case. Sources confirmed to the WAFB I-TEAM that some of those arraigned began receiving notices last week that they did not have to appear because a plea deal may have been worked out.

Of the five charges that resulted after Ronald Greene’s death, three have been dismissed. Charges against Kory York and Union Parish Deputy Chris Harpin remain. In court, the Greene family pleaded for a mistrial, according to Hardin’s legal team.

Calls to District Attorney John Belton and Special Prosecutor Hugo Holland were not returned last week as details of this plea began to emerge. We also left messages with York’s attorney, Michael Small.

Outside the courthouse Monday, Belton told the attorney he was sympathetic to the family. Small also commented saying he believed they would have prevailed if this case had gone to trial.

SEE: Previous coverage by Ronald Greene

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