Man Claims he was Attacked by Bay St. Louis Police Officer

One man takes matters into his own hands, filing a report with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department after he claims he was attacked by a Bay St. Louis police officer.
Thomas J. Koenenn III and his brother Cody say it all started when they were attacked by a group of men outside of Joe’s Lounge on Saturday.
In the report, Thomas states he was knocked out during an altercation and when he woke up Bay St. Louis Officers John Nelson and Matt Dickens ordered him to stay on the ground. After he described to police what happened, Thomas claims the officers gave him two options: go to the hospital or go to jail for public intoxication.
Thomas assured the officers that he was not under the influence, but was taken to the Hancock County Jail along with his brother. However, the jail refused to house the men because they were bleeding and needed medical attention from the brawl earlier. That’s when the two officers took the two men to the Hancock County Medical Center.
Once they were at the hospital, Thomas reportedly told Officer Nelson “crooked cops like you is the reason that the chief shot himself,” referring to former Police Chief Mike De Nardo. That’s when Thomas said Officer Nelson grabbed him by the neck and choked him.
Bay St. Louis Mayor Les Fillingame said, “There’s been no indication of any injury. We weren’t made aware of anything that evening that would’ve shown that he was injured. It’s basically his word against our officer’s word. There were some other situations that the officer probably could have handled a little differently.”
Thomas requested to be examined by medical staff again following the alleged attack, but says he was not taken seriously, refused treatment and taken back to jail. There is no word yet on what crimes the brothers were charged with.
The Bay St. Louis Police Department is in the process of an internal investigation and says Officer Nelson is pending disciplinary action.