The defense continued to call witnesses Thursday in the wrongful death civil lawsuit filed against the City of Saratoga Springs by the family of Darryl Mount Jr. Mount died in May 2014 of injuries sustained during a police foot chase on Labor Day weekend, 2013.
After video evidence was authenticated, the defense called former Saratoga Springs police chief Greg Veitch to the stand.
Called by the plaintiffs’ attorney last week, Veitch was again asked about communications with a local reporter over the question of whether an internal investigation of the incident was conducted by the department.
Veitch explained the department’s investigation served as both a criminal investigation and an internal investigation. He said the internal investigation classification was later dropped so as to release materials to the public.
The city posted materials from the investigation online in June 2014, weeks after Mount died.
Veitch said he did not intend to deceive the reporter but acknowledged his statement could be interpreted as misleading.
He also testified that there were no witnesses to what happened to Mount and that no one came forward to offer an account that differed from the police narrative that Mount was injured by a fall. Family members have claimed police brutality.
Also appearing on the stand Thursday was a former employee of a downtown bar near where Mount was injured. The earwitness described hearing a loud thud and no other noises in the alley before police arrived on scene at the time of the incident around 3 a.m. on August 31st, 2013. Another former employee described a similar scene on the stand Wednesday.
Court is adjourned until Monday morning.
