HINESBURG – A Hinesburg Community Police Officer who was sued in federal court for excessive force has resigned from the department.
Officer Cameron Coltharp voluntarily resigned April 30. No announcement was made by town officials. The resignation was brought to light after VTDigger placed a public records request for the information.
Coltharp’s resignation comes nearly a year after he and officer Jeremy Hulshof responded to a May 6, 2016, call at Lori Ann Carron’s home.
Carron and her husband, Philip Cromer, called 911, about an alleged domestic-assault incident. When Coltharp and Hulshof responded to the residence, Cromer said his wife was suffering from a mental health crisis.
Body camera footage shows that Coltharp walked past Cromer, aggressively pushed the woman to the floor and handcuffed her hands behind her back. Carron’s head hit a chair in the fall and her face was bloodied. Cromer was heard on the video, requesting an ambulance.
After the incident, Hinesburg police chief Frank Koss placed Coltharp on paid administrative leave, and Hulshof remained on active duty.
Carron filed an excessive force lawsuit last summer in U.S. District Court in Burlington alleging that Coltharp violated her civil rights. The Town of Hinesburg settled with Carron for $60,000.
In late November, the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s office cleared Coltharp and Hulshof of criminal wrongdoing after an investigation by the Vermont State Police. The investigation focused on Coltharp, whom Carron said in her lawsuit “spun her around, throwing her to the floor” after a domestic assault complaint had de-escalated, according to court papers. In separate law suits, Coltharp and Hulshof denied the charges.
The eight-page agreement between the town of Hinesburg and Coltharp shows that the police officer remained on paid administrative leave until his resignation became effective. When he resigned, Coltharp was to receive a lump sum payment of $10,000 for 169 combined hours of time off.
Under the agreement, Coltharp isn’t allowed to enter the police department without the chief’s permission.
The town will provide any future employers the dates of Coltharp’s employment with Hinesburg, the last position he held and the hourly rate of pay he received at the time he left the town’s employment. The town won’t disclose, without a valid subpoena, a court order with any information regarding Coltharp’s employment history.
The agreement was signed by Coltharp, his attorney, Pietro Lynn, then Hinesburg Town Administrator Trevor Lashua and Hinesburg Town attorney William Ellis.
Police Chief Koss and Selectboard Chairman Phil Pouech declined to comment.
Coltharp confirmed in a brief telephone interview earlier this week he resigned his position with the police department. He joined the Hinesburg department nearly six years ago and started his law-enforcement career over a decade ago. After he resigned, he moved away from the Chittenden County community.
The Hinesburg police department has six officers, according to the town web site.
