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FALL RIVER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After an F.B.I. investigation, Fall River Police Officer Nicholas Hoar has been arrested and indicted on federal charges for allegedly assaulting a man in custody with a baton.
The charges date back nearly two years. According to the indictment, on December 21st, 2020 Hoar struck a man who'd been arrested in the forehead with his baton, "resulting in bodily injury to the arrestee." He's also accused of submitting two reports which left out any mention of the baton strike.
U.S. Attorney Rachel Rollins' office announced the 35 year-old officer is facing "one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of false reports." He was arrested Wednesday morning and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.
If convicted, Hoar could face decades in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
The Herald News reports 57 year-old William Harvey reached a $65,000 settlement with the city in August over the alleged assault. Harvey claimed Officer Hoar beat him while he was handcuffed at police headquarters. In August, Fall River police said Hoar had been on paid administrative leave.
Hoar is also the center of a $34 million dollar lawsuit around the shooting death of 19 year-old Larry Ruiz-Barreto in 2017.
This is a developing story. Listen to WBZ NewsRadio live for the latest.
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