A former Mississippi Capitol police officer convicted on a civil rights charge is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea, prosecutors said.
Jeffery Walker, 45, previously worked as an officer with the Mississippi Capitol Police.
Walker pleaded guilty to violating a man’s civil rights under color of law, court documents show.
In July 2022, Walker initiated a traffic stop following a vehicle pursuit, prosecutors said.
After the chase, Walker allegedly shoved a handcuffed man’s head into the hood of a vehicle, prosecutors alleged. He then allegedly kicked the man multiple times before taking him to jail, according to the government.
In December 2025, the former officer entered a guilty plea in federal court in connection with the traffic stop, records show.
Walker was scheduled to be sentenced when his court date arrived in August, according to court documents.
Instead, the defendant asked a federal judge at the eleventh hour to withdraw the guilty plea and obtain new counsel, records show.
Walker cited newly discovered evidence, problems with his defense attorney, and a new claim of innocence, filings state.
The defendant also claimed his attorney told him the federal charge would eventually be reduced to a misdemeanor, court records show. He claimed his lawyer told him he would not receive jail time, according to filings.
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His attorney disputed that claim, court records show.
Prosecutors argued the claim does not square with Walker’s own experience as a law-enforcement officer, filings show.
On Tuesday, federal prosecutors filed a formal response objecting to the request, court records show.
Prosecutors argued that the supposed new evidence does not overcome what they described as a “mountain” of other evidence, filings state. They accused the former officer of trying to delay his sentencing, according to prosecutors.
The government said the eleventh-hour maneuver is nothing more than a delay tactic, filings state.
Federal prosecutors previously planned to introduce evidence of a separate 2023 encounter, court documents show.
In that traffic stop, Walker allegedly headbutted another man after the driver questioned why he had been pulled over, prosecutors alleged.
That alleged encounter remains separate from the conduct underlying the guilty plea, prosecutors said.
If the plea stands, Walker faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to court records.
A federal judge must now decide whether Walker can withdraw his guilty plea or proceed to sentencing while he remains free on $10,000 bond, records show.
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