County to pay family $4 million [MORE]
A Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy faces up to life in prison for allegedly chasing an Ypsilanti Township man, throwing him to the ground and spraying a chemical into his mouth, killing him.

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Monday that Joseph Eberle, 35, was indicted for using "unreasonable force" when he subdued Clifton "Pete" Lee Jr. on June 1, 2006, after Lee, 45, approached officers who had stopped his brother.

Two other Sheriff's employees, Deputy Eric Kelly, 37, and Sgt. Shawn Hoy, 37, were charged with using unreasonable force on Lee's brother, Bruce. Hoy also allegedly failed to stop Kelly, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Neither the three deputies nor union representatives could be reached for comment.

Kelly and Hoy face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, said Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Lee's early morning death -- captured on police videotape -- prompted Washtenaw County officials to settle a civil case with Lee's family for $4 million earlier this year.

"It's brutal," said attorney Paul Broschay, who represented Clifton Lee's family in the civil lawsuit. "They chased him down, they pinned him to the ground."

One officer, allegedly Eberle, sprayed the chemical directly into Clifton Lee's mouth and then held it closed, Broschay said. Lee, an auto mechanic and construction worker, lived about a block away and had gone to the scene to see what was happening.