A former Massachusetts State Police trooper has pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for kicking a handcuffed man in the head during a traffic stop on Interstate 93 in Boston in 2019, court records show.
Paul Conneely changed his plea from not guilty on Thursday, according to Suffolk Superior Court records. He was given four years of probation, during which he must do 250 hours of community service and take management classes.
He'll also need to refrain from contacting the person who was beaten, surrender his gun license and not work in law enforcement or security, records show.
State police had referred the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office to the case, in which Conneely's car and a suspected stolen vehicle crashed during a traffic stop on Feb. 22, 2019, prosecutors said.
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After Conneely helped to handcuff the driver -- who'd gotten out of the vehicle with his hands up, laid on the ground and placed his hands behind his back -- the trooper "raised his right foot and kicked the driver in the back of the head while wearing his Massachusetts State Police issued boots," prosecutors had alleged.
