Ex-VA police officer sentenced for punching patient during arrest

A former Indianapolis-based police officer is headed to prison for shoving and repeatedly punching a person he was arresting at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center, federal authorities announced Tuesday.

Michael Kaim, 28, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis to 12 months behind bars and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for deprivation of civil rights, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Kaim was employed by the Veterans Affairs Police Department in Indianapolis. Under a plea agreement, he admitted to using "excessive force" against the patient and employee whom he was arresting outside Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center on the near westside in April 2017, the release said.

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An indictment handed down by a grand jury in January said Kaim had no legal reason to hit the man, and Kaim deprived the man of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure. 

Kaim was also accused of falsifying records in an effort to impede a federal investigation, according to the indictment.

In the falsified report, Kaim wrote that the man resisted efforts to be escorted from a building and that he began acting aggressively, according to court documents.

The indictment said the man actually followed orders.

In a statement provided to IndyStar Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said Kaim's behavior "runs counter to VA's values."

"VA has made clear that it will hold employees accountable when they to fail to live up to the high standards taxpayers expect from us, and that’s exactly what we did in this case," the agency said.

Kaim’s attorney, John Kautzman, hasn't responded to a request seeking comment.

Call IndyStar reporter Crystal Hill at 317-444-6094. Follow her on Twitter: @crysnhill.