Peabody

Former Peabody Police Sergeant Convicted of Domestic Assault, Strangulation

Brendan O'Brien, a former sergeant with the Peabody Police Department, was found guilty of domestic assault and battery, strangulation and violation of a restraining order in a 2019 incident

Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

A former police sergeant in Peabody, Massachusetts, was convicted Monday of domestic assault and battery, strangulation and violation of a restraining order.

The Peabody Police Department said Brendan O'Brien was placed on administrative leave after the 2019 incident and resigned a year later. A jury at Salem District Court found him guilty at the conclusion of the trial that started last week.

"The actions of former Sergeant Brendan O'Brien were inexcusable and unacceptable for anyone, let alone a member of the Peabody Police Department," Chief Thomas Griffin said in a statement. "His behavior is not consistent with the high expectations we hold our officers to. Our department strongly condemns any form of domestic violence and works diligently to support victims of these crimes."

The Salem News reported that O'Brien had been sentenced to two and a half years, but would serve 18 months with the rest of the sentence being suspended for another 18 months. He will be on probation for that latter period, the newspaper reported; O'Brien must stay away from the victim, described as his former girlfriend, and take part in a domestic abuse awareness program.

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