Former officer pleads guilty to mistreating prisoner paralyzed in Connecticut police van

A erstwhile Connecticut constabulary serviceman accused of mistreating captive Richard “Randy” Cox aft helium was paralyzed successful the backmost of a constabulary van pleaded blameworthy to a misdemeanor Wednesday and received nary jailhouse time, portion 3 different officers chose to instrumentality their cases to trial.

Betsy Segui, a erstwhile New Haven sergeant who supervised the metropolis constabulary presumption lockup, pleaded blameworthy to second-degree reckless endangerment successful speech for a 60-day suspended jailhouse term. Another erstwhile officer, Ronald Pressley, took the aforesaid plea woody and received an identical condemnation past week.

Cox, 39, who did not be the New Haven Superior Court hearing, was near paralyzed from the thorax down connected June 19, 2022, erstwhile the constabulary van helium was riding successful without a spot loop braked hard, sending him head-first into a metallic partition portion his hands were cuffed down his back. He had been arrested connected charges of threatening a pistillate with a gun, which were aboriginal dismissed.

“I can’t move. I’m going to dice similar this. Please, please, delight assistance me,” Cox said successful the van minutes aft the crash, according to constabulary video. He aboriginal was recovered to person breached his neck.

Once astatine the constabulary station, officers mocked Cox and accused him of being drunk and faking his injuries, according to surveillance and body-worn camera footage. Officers dragged Cox retired of the van and astir the constabulary presumption earlier placing him successful a holding compartment earlier his eventual transportation to a hospital.

When Cox told the officers that helium thought helium had cracked his neck, Segui responded, “You ain’t ace nothing. You conscionable drank excessively much,” according to an interior affairs probe report.

Segui did not talk astir Cox's attraction during the tribunal hearing. She lone answered modular questions from the justice astir her blameworthy plea.

Her lawyer, Gregory Cerritelli, said Segui wanted to enactment the transgression lawsuit down her.

“She’s nary longer moving successful instrumentality enforcement and has nary tendency to, truthful I deliberation from her position this conscionable gives her closure and lets her determination connected with her beingness and absorption connected her caller career,” helium said successful an interrogation aft the hearing. He declined to accidental what Segui's caller vocation is.

Three different officers progressive successful Cox's transport, Oscar Diaz, Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera, rejected plea deals projected by prosecutors and chose to instrumentality their cases to trial. All 3 are charged with cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment.

Prosecutors said Cox was informed astir Segui's plea woody beforehand and gave his consent. In 2023, the metropolis of New Haven agreed to settee a suit by Cox for $45 million.

Louis Rubano, a lawyer for Cox, said Cox and his household had hoped the transgression cases would extremity arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable with plea bargains by each 5 officers.

“I deliberation bringing a decision to this tragic concern is what the household wants, and the information present that there’s going to beryllium perchance a proceedings for the different remaining officers forces Randy and his household to person to benignant of re-live the events of that tragic day,” Rubano said.

Rubano said Cox has bought a location and is surviving determination with his mother, who is caring for him with the assistance of aesculapian professionals.

The lawsuit drew outrage from civilian rights advocates including the NAACP, on with comparisons to the Freddie Gray lawsuit successful Baltimore. Cox is Black, portion each 5 officers who were arrested are Black oregon Hispanic. Gray, who besides was Black, died successful 2015 aft helium suffered a spinal wounded portion handcuffed and shackled successful a Baltimore constabulary van.

The lawsuit besides led to reforms astatine the New Haven constabulary department arsenic good arsenic a statewide spot loop request for prisoners.

New Haven constabulary fired Segui, Diaz, Lavandier and Rivera for violating constabulary behaviour policies, portion Pressley retired. Diaz appealed his firing and got his occupation back. Diaz, who was driving the van erstwhile Cox got injured, said helium had to brake hard to debar an mishap with different vehicle.