AG: No civil rights violation in black man's Albany arrest
Paula Tracy 6:04 a.m.
CONCORD - The Attorney General's Office said two state troopers' use of force was "legally justified" and did not violate an African American man's civil rights in arresting him in Albany on May 20. Neither Saint Preux nor the two officers, State Trooper Hawley Rae and Margaret Ready, agreed to be interviewed for the investigation, but lawyers for the troopers submitted letters on their behalf, the report said. The video shows Saint Preux saying he was unaware why he is was under arrest. "Get out of the vehicle you are under arrest," the video shows officers saying. "Instead, the Attorney General's review of the officer-involved use of force incidents consist of a criminal investigation which is limited to determining whether officers complied with applicable law," the report states. And in this case, no violation of civil rights was found, according to the report. On Tuesday, Saint Preux pleaded guilty to disobeying a police officer and received a $620 fine and 180 days in jail, both suspended upon good behavior, according to the Conway Daily Sun. He was also fined $74 for having an uninspected vehicle. A charge of simple assault against Trooper Ready was placed on file and a second charge against Trooper Rae was dropped, the newspaper said. Paula Tracy writes for the NH news nonprofit INdepthNH.org
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