ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) - A Vermont woman who was punched in the face by a St. Albans police officer is suing the city.
Amy Connelly is accusing the officer of using excessive force and accusing the city of failing to adequately train or discipline officers, Vermont Public Radio reported Tuesday.
The city has been expecting the lawsuit, St. Albans City Manager Dominic Cloud said.
“Resolving the likely litigation has always been an important last step in putting this matter behind us and we’re eager to do so,” Cloud said.
Surveillance and body camera footage confirmed that former officer Sgt. Jason Lawton punched Connelly in the face while she was handcuffed in March 2019.
Lawton was charged with assault in November and was later fired. He pleaded not guilty.
Officers Zachary Koch and Michael Ferguson are also named in the suit. Connelly alleges they witnessed Lawton strike her and “threw (her) head first into the floor.”
Koch was disciplined and Ferguson was cleared of wrongdoing by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, Cloud said.
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