A Eugene police officer faces a possible jail sentence after a judge on Wednesday found him guilty of misdemeanor assault and official misconduct for beating a handcuffed man at the Lane County Jail in September 2014, in an incident captured on surveillance video.

John Sharlow, a city police officer since 2000, wore a troubled look on his face as he turned toward family and friends � including several of his colleagues from the Eugene police force � upon hearing Lane County Circuit Judge Mustafa Kasubhai�s ruling. Sharlow will return to court for sentencing on Friday.

Sharlow waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead to have Kasubhai decide if he broke the law when he roughed up Eugene resident Arik Bumpas in front of three other officers at the jail. Sharlow had arrested Bumpas after a dispute outside a downtown Eugene bar shortly before the jailhouse assault.

In explaining his verdict, Kasubhai said he concluded after reviewing evidence presented during Sharlow�s two-day trial that the officer had intended to harm Bumpas.

The Eugene man � who the judge said presented no �imminent threat� to police at the time � was handcuffed behind his back and seated on a bench with his legs crossed when Sharlow grabbed him around the neck and pulled him to the jail�s concrete floor.

�I do not find it to be a justifiable use of force,� Kasubhai said.

Sharlow�s attorney, Larry Matasar of Portland, argued at trial that the officer acted in self-defense, and became physical with Bumpas because he needed to maintain order in the jail.

Matasar said as he left the courthouse that he was �disappointed� with the verdict, but declined to say anything more. Sharlow exited through a side door and could not be reached for comment.

Bumpas testified Tuesday but did not attend trial proceedings on Wednesday. Brian Michaels, a Eugene lawyer who represents Bumpas in a pending civil lawsuit relating to the assault, said Wednesday in a telephone interview that �it is extremely rare and difficult� to prosecute a police officer, and commended Kasubhai for �seeing through the politics� and reaching a verdict that confirmed Bumpas is a crime victim.

Sharlow testified in his own defense on Wednesday. He said he was not angry during the incident involving Bumpas, but grabbed the handcuffed man because he �thought (Bumpas) was going to stand up� from the jail bench and become aggressive.

Sharlow said he was not trying to injure Bumpas, and asserted he had intended to grab the Eugene man by an arm. The officer wrote in a report documenting the incident that he had taken hold of the Eugene man�s upper arm.

Sharlow testified that he was �very surprised� when he later viewed the video and saw that he had actually put his hands around Bumpas� neck.

�I can�t say why exactly my hands went to that area,� Sharlow testified.

The video, which Lane County officials allowed a reporter to view outside of the courtroom on Wednesday, shows Bumpas and Sharlow cursing at and insulting each other in the moments before the assault.

Sharlow acknowledged while on the witness stand that his �banter� with Bumpas at the jail was �less than professional.�

After the heated verbal exchange, Sharlow tossed aside a pen he had been holding, then swiftly approached Bumpas and grabbed him by the neck. Sharlow took Bumpas to the ground, then put his left knee against the side of Bumpas� face. At one point the officer momentarily lifted his knee from Bumpas� head, then returned it to the handcuffed man�s face, the video shows.

Bumpas can be heard on the video screaming and complaining about being beaten.

The video shows three additional Eugene police officers standing nearby as Sharlow pulled Bumpas from the bench and onto the jail�s concrete floor. One of the other officers appears to be smiling throughout much of the incident.

Michaels, Bumpas� attorney, said that the video �was the most important witness.�

�It�s hard to watch that video and come up with any defense,� he said.

Sharlow first crossed paths with Bumpas � who testified that he had consumed alcohol and marijuana in the hours before the incident � after a bouncer at a downtown Eugene bar reported Bumpas had trespassed after getting kicked out of the tavern following a verbal dispute.

According to trial testimony, Bumpas failed to convince Sharlow and another Eugene officer, Aaron Lindsay, that the bouncer had assaulted him, and called 911 while the officers were with him outside the bar. Bumpas ran from the scene as police tried to arrest him for allegedly misusing 911.

Sharlow fired his Taser stun gun at Bumpas as he fled, but the weapon�s electrically charged darts failed to stop the Eugene man. Bumpas stopped running a short time later and was taken into custody by Sharlow after the officer again deployed his Taser, according to trial testimony.

Bumpas, who is now 30, was booked into the jail after Sharlow assaulted him. His mugshot depicts him with a bandage on his forehead and blood in the area of his nose and left eye.

Bumpas testified that he received medical treatment at a local hospital after being released from jail hours after his arrest.

He has notified the city of Eugene and Lane County in writing of his intent to sue over the incident. According to the notice, Bumpas suffered a concussion and facial scarring, and also aggravated a hand injury and suffered a gash on one of his feet in the incident.

Lane County prosecutors initially charged Bumpas with attempted assault of a police officer and resisting arrest, but later dismissed the case after Eugene police launched a criminal investigation into Sharlow�s actions.

The misdemeanor charges against Sharlow were filed by Jonathan Crow, a Linn County prosecutor whose office was asked by the Lane County District Attorney�s Office to handle the case.

Crow said Wednesday that �the state is satisfied with the verdict� reached by Kasubhai, but declined to make any additional comment until after Sharlow�s sentencing hearing.

Kasubhai could sentence Sharlow to a maximum of one year in jail, or instead order a sentence of probation.

Meanwhile, Sharlow remains a Eugene police employee. He was removed from patrol duty shortly after Bumpas� arrest, and been on paid administrative leave since March 2015.

Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns on Wednesday issued a statement in which he said that Kasubhai�s decision allows investigators in his department to complete an internal affairs investigation. A finding that Sharlow violated department policies could result in his termination.

�The criminal and employment processes are independent� of each other, Kerns said. �This is the order in which cases like this one must proceed to preserve the rights and protections of all parties. The Eugene Police Department remains committed to providing the highest quality service to our community.�

Follow Jack on Twitter @JackMoranRG . Email jack.moran@registerguard.com .