A former Vermont police officer recorded on video hitting a handcuffed female prisoner is being charged with assault.
Vermont State Police say that 31-year-old Jason Lawton was cited Thursday on a charge of simple assault 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 woman being thrown against a wall in the holding cell after she refuses to sit down. When she stands back up and tries to kick Lawton, he responds by punching her in the face.
State police say the charges were filed after consulting with the Vermont Attorney General’s office.
Lawton, who was fired after the incident, will be arraigned in Vermont Superior Court Monday.
It’s unclear if Lawton has an attorney, and a phone number couldn’t be found for him.
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