Judge Expunges Record of Felony Charge Against Ex-Detective

A Superior Court magistrate has expunged the public record of a former Providence police detective who had faced a felony charge.

Robert R. DeCarlo was caught on a security camera video as he attacked a handcuffed suspect with a flashlight in a widely publicized case in 2009.

However, he remains guilty of simple assault, a misdemeanor, on trespassing suspect Luis Mendonca.

Expunging the public record means the case will be kept sealed at the courthouse, unavailable except in special circumstances. DeCarlo, generally speaking, will be able to swear lawfully that he was never convicted of a felony.

A jury in 2011 convicted DeCarlo of the felony charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, his flashlight, on Mendonca. A judge declared a mistrial, which was appealed by Attorney General Peter Kilmartin.