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ST. LOUIS 鈥� A former Woodson Terrace police officer was sentenced to five years probation on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a federal civil rights charge for kicking a man鈥檚 head during a 2019 arrest.

Several letters of support, submitted to the court by David W. Maas鈥� former colleagues and bosses, were at the center of arguments by both defense attorneys and prosecutors.

Maas鈥� lawyer, Neil Bruntrager, argued the support showed his client鈥檚 dedication to his family, community and career of 30 years. Letter writers said he was regularly cool under pressure, quick to de-escalate situations and served as a model of good policing.

鈥淢r. Maas performed well as both 鈥榞uardian鈥� and 鈥榳arrior鈥� in our profession,鈥� wrote St. John police Chief Robert Connell. 鈥淗e brought experience, ability and compassion to each and every call we worked together on.鈥�

But federal prosecutors said those same letters 鈥� some of which argued against Maas鈥� conviction and tried to justify his crime 鈥� showed signs of lingering law enforcement attitudes that favored 鈥渙ld-school street justice鈥� instead of respect for the rights of everyone, including detainees.

鈥淚t is a civil rights violation,鈥� said Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a crime.鈥�

The case dates back to April 14, 2019, when police received a call about a man carjacking a woman while she loaded groceries into her car at the Schnucks on St. Charles Rock Road and North Lindbergh Boulevard.

Police from several North County municipalities chased the vehicle across several cities along St. Charles Rock Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive before it turned onto a dead-end street in Wellston, according to court documents.

The driver of the car, Isaiah Forman, then made a U-turn and hit a St. Ann police car. Prosecutors say Forman鈥檚 passenger got out and ran, but Forman put his hands in the air and was lowering himself onto the ground when Maas came up and kicked him in the head. Forman was later sentenced to seven years in prison for the incident.

Krug, the federal prosecutor, said Tuesday that Maas did not report the incident or notify his superiors that he had been in a chase that night. Instead, they learned about his involvement when TV station KMOV prepared to publish a story featuring officer dash cam footage of the assault.

鈥淭he defendant was not doing his job,鈥� Krug said. 鈥淗e had no business being in that pursuit.鈥�

Krug argued Maas should be sentenced to 16 months of home confinement instead of prison because of his severe medical problems. She said some of the officers who wrote letters on Maas鈥� behalf had been embroiled in federal civil rights lawsuits of their own, and a stiff sentence would encourage others to do better.

But Maas鈥� attorney, Bruntrager, argued his client should be sentenced only to probation. Bruntrager read excerpts from dozens of letters that highlighted Maas鈥� commitment to his children and how he frequently gave away money and other charitable acts.

In one letter, a current police officer talked about the day in 2011 when he was called to his first death investigation. A body had been left for two months during the summer in a home without air conditioning. From the outside, the windows looked black because of all of the flies circling the corpse.

The smell was so overwhelming and the scene so gruesome that the officer said he thought about quitting. But Maas gave him a piece of advice: Keep it simple and complete one task at a time.

The officer said Maas鈥� advice and support stopped him from quitting that day. Others had similar stories.

鈥淗e impacted so many lives,鈥� Bruntrager said. 鈥淭he picture of this man 鈥� it鈥檚 in the letters.鈥�

Maas said he tried during his 30-year career to serve honestly and with integrity. He then apologized to his family and loved ones for his current situation.

Judge Henry Autrey contemplated Maas鈥� sentence, speaking about the importance of the oath officers take to serve and protect the public.

鈥淲hen you raise that hand,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hat should mean something. And you鈥檙e bound by that. There鈥檚 nothing that should justify wavering from that oath.鈥�

Autrey then sided with Maas鈥� lawyers, sentencing the former cop to five years of probation, including six months of location monitoring.