State Trooper Acquitted Of Assault Following Chase, Violent Arrest
MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS) – A Massachusetts State Police trooper was found not guilty Thursday of simple assault after police violently arrested a man who led them on a chase into New Hampshire in 2016.
Trooper Joseph Flynn, 32, had been on trial for the beating of driver Richard Simone.
Flynn was acquitted of all charges. He had previously been suspended without pay by Massachusetts State Police.
Massachusetts State Police said Thursday they will review Flynn's status in the coming days.
Former New Hampshire State Police Trooper Andrew Monaco pleaded guilty to three counts of simple assault for hitting Simone after he surrendered to police. Monaco avoided jail time.
The 2016 chase began in Holden, Massachusetts, and ended in Nashua, New Hampshire.
When Simone got out of his pickup truck after the pursuit, he appeared to kneel and put his hands on the ground when two officers – later identified as Monaco and Flynn – began punching and kneeing him, despite his apparent cooperation.
