‘Ding-Dong Ditch’ Teen ‘Scarred for Life, Barely Able to Function’ After Eye Socket Broken in Alleged State Trooper Attack

The 15-year-old boy who allegedly had his eye socket broken by a Delaware State Police trooper over ding-dong-ditching the cop's home is "scarred for life" and remains "barely able to function" a month after the alleged attack, his attorney said.

Sam Davis, a lawyer representing the teen — who he identified as Jayden — told WDEL on Wednesday his client needed six hours of facial surgery after the alleged assault by Corporal Dempsey Walters on Aug. 21.

"He is so emotionally traumatized that he is barely able to function," Davis told the news outlet.

Walters, 29, was indicted and arraigned this week after the Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings alleged he turned off his body-worn camera to punch the boy in the head over the apparent prank last month.

The corporal is also accused of assaulting and injuring a 17-year-old boy, who was forced out of his home by police at gunpoint, in a separate incident that same night.

"I truly believe that [both boys] are scarred for life," Davis told WDEL.

Ding-dong ditch is a child's prank that involves singing a doorbell and then running away.

Prosecutors said Walters was on duty on Aug. 21 when the 15-year-old teen allegedly kicked his front door as part of a prank with friends.

Walters' girlfriend, who was home at the time, called him when she heard the noise and gave a description of the boy after the incident was caught on video by a doorbell security camera, authorities said.

According to officials, Walters drove to his neighborhood and called other troopers and police department for assistance as he was on his way.

Other officers ultimately found the boy and his friends walking on the side of the road, dashcam and body camera footage shows.

When Walters arrived at the scene, he "almost immediately" dropped his knee into the back of the minor's head and neck, authorities allege.

In the dashcam video footage, the boy can be heard crying out for his mother, shrieking in pain as he tells police he can't breathe.

Amid the boy's screams, Walters can be heard demanding, “Where are you coming from?”

Walters then shut off his body-worn camera, just before he punched the boy in the face as the teen sat handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle, according to authorities.

The boy's aunt, Tara Murphy, wrote on Facebook soon after the alleged attack that troopers "beat the living hell out of" her nephew, who also suffered a concussion and required surgery to "repair severe eye damage."

"He was bleeding through his nose, he was marginally conscious, and it wasn't for close to an hour after the assault that they sought medical attention for him," Davis told WDEL days after the incident last month.

Amina Ali, a spokesperson for State Police, told to The Messenger on Wednesday the department will be reviewing conduct of other troopers who responded to the scene.

Davis told WDEL he believes more body camera footage and other evidence needs to be looked at by authorities.

"We believe that the evidence will clearly show that several other officers failed to intervene, failed to call this guy off," Davis said.

Prosecutors have alleged Walters also assaulted a 17-year-old boy that same night, four days after the two had an argument while Walters was off duty.

Walters allegedly looked up the teen's address in a law enforcement database and went to his home with local police when he became aware of the ding-dong-ditch incident.

At the house, authorities had the unarmed 17-year-old step outside at video released by Jennings’ office shows.

“[The teen] and a friend came to the front door, unarmed, and complied with all orders,” prosecutors said about Walters’ encounter with the boy on Aug. 21.

“Walters forcibly pulled [the teen] out of the doorway and forced him onto the ground, causing injuries. [The boy] was handcuffed and detained, but never formally arrested.”

Walters, who has been suspended without pay, pleaded not guilty via his attorney in court on Tuesday.

He posted bail, which was set at $24,000 secured or $5,000 cash, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed.