A former police officer in Vermont has been given a six-month jail sentence after admitting to beating up a woman who was handcuffed in a holding cell.
34-year-old Jason Lawton was a former sergeant with the St. Albans Police Department. He was sentenced on Wednesday in Superior Court to six months behind bars.
Lawton had previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault in connection with the attack that took place on November 2019.
He initially faced a maximum of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
His attorney asked the judge to give him just two years probation with no jail time.
The prosecutor sought a six-month sentence given the “betrayal of community trust.”
As seen in the surveillance video below, Lawton pushed the woman and punched her in the face after she stood up and tried to kick him in the cell. He was fired in 2019.
Here’s the video of the assault. WARNING: Disturbing content.
Former Vermont officer, Jason Lawton, sentenced to only 3 months in prison for viciously striking a handcuffed woman. The victim, Amy Connely, was originally the one charged with assault in 2019. It took the ACLU to finally have charges brought against Lawton. pic.twitter.com/twGwbc4ljO
— Forever 27 (@VicBlancoProds) December 23, 2022
