Attorney General TJ Donovan announced charges Thursday against a police officer in St. Albans who punched a woman in the face while she was handcuffed in police custody.
Amy Connelly filed a complaint against Sgt. Jason Lawton in August over a March 15 incident in which Lawton allegedly pushed her against the wall of a holding cell at the St. Albans Police Department, and then socked her around the eye. Connelly suffered injuries to her face and bruising around her eye as a result of the blow.
The incident was investigated by the Vermont State Police, with an independent review completed by the Vermont Attorney General’s Office. On Thursday, Lawton was cited to appear in court on suspicion of simple assault, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Connelly, 35, of Highgate, was arrested on March 14 after allegedly ripping off the shirt of a St. Albans bar owner while intoxicated and refusing to leave the bar.
A video from the police department shows Connelly arguing with Lawton and another officer and repeatedly kicking the cell door. When she stands up at one point, Lawton pushes her back onto the cell bench. She stands up again and appears to kick Lawton in the shin, at which point he pushes her again and then punches her in the face while holding her down with his other hand.
Connelly was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct, an unlawful mischief charge, and an additional assault charge for the kicking the officer.
After she was released, Connelly contacted the ACLU of Vermont, which filed a public records request for the body camera footage of Lawton striking her. The video is now public.
St. Albans Police Chief Gary Taylor reported that he didn’t hear about the incident until the ACLU requested the video in early June, prompting him to launch an internal investigation. On July 1, that investigation was concluded and Lawton was fired, though he has appealed the termination through the police union.
Taylor said the department also changed its policy around police use-of-force and will begin reviewing all such incidents automatically.
