ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) — A former Vermont police officer who was recorded on video hitting a handcuffed female prisoner is expected in court.
Thirty-one-year-old Jason Lawton, of Fletcher, is due in court Monday after being cited last week on an assault charge for the March 15 incident at the St. Albans Police Department.
The video, some of it from a police body camera and some from a surveillance camera, shows the apparently intoxicated Amy Connelly being thrown against a wall in a holding cell after she refuses to sit down. Lawton punches her in the face when she stands back up and tries to kick him.
State police said the charges were filed after consulting with the attorney general’s office. Lawton was fired after the incident. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.
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