Former police officer charged in connection with Ronald Greene’s death reaches deal with prosecutors

UNION PARISH, La. (KNOE) – Former Louisiana State Trooper Kory York has agreed to a plea deal in the fatal arrest case of Louisiana motorist Ronald Greene.

The plea was announced at the Union Parish Courthouse around 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 28. York pleaded no contest to eight counts of simple assault and received a six-month suspended sentence, a $1,000 fine, 160 hours of community service and one year of supervised probation.

York’s initial charges include one count of negligent homicide and 10 counts of malfeasance in office. Louisiana prosecutors dropped the more serious charge of negligent homicide in September 2024, even though a grand jury previously indicted York on the same charge.

According to a Associated Press article written When the negligent homicide charge was dropped, Union Parish District Attorney John Belton said the evidence “does not meet the ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ standard necessary to secure a conviction at trial.”

York was allowed to retire in August 2024, about two months before the plea deal was announced.