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The sergeant is facing assault charges after an alleged excessive use of force incident last month, prosecutors said.
A State Police sergeant is facing criminal charges after allegedly assaulting a driver during a traffic stop in Springfield last month, prosecutors announced.
“As in any judicial process, we pledge our full cooperation and refrain from further comment as we await the outcome,” State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Sergeant Joel Daoust is charged with one count of assault and battery and one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The charges were filed Tuesday in Springfield District Court, court documents show.
The charges stem from a Jan. 3 incident, the office of Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said.
The incident began when Daoust pulled over a driver for allegedly speeding and for marked lanes violations, the DA said.
During the traffic stop, Daoust allegedly used force on the driver, “including physical force” and the deployment of pepper spray, the DA said.
Noble said State Police “escalated the incident” and referred it to the DA for a review. State Police relieved Daoust of duty and suspended him without pay, the agency said.
Prior to the January incident, Daoust had been subject to disciplinary action on two occasions, State Police said.
“In 2015, Daoust received a letter of counseling for failing to record a non-inventory search on a citation. In 2017, he forfeited 7 days of accrued time for unsafe cruiser operation and disregarding a supervisor’s order,” State Police said.
Prosecutors did not provide information regarding the driver’s identity or details surrounding the traffic stop.
Attorney information for Daoust was not publicly available Thursday evening.
Daoust is expected to be arraigned April 3, the DA said.
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