- Nicholas Hoar, 37, was found guilty after a four-day jury trial of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of false reporting.
- Hoare, a Fall River police officer, was arrested and charged in November 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24.
- On December 21, 2020, Hoa used a baton to beat a man in custody and filed a report failing to report assault.
A Fall River police officer was found guilty Thursday of assaulting a man in custody with a baton and failing to report the assault.
Nicholas M. Hoare, 37, was found guilty after a four-day jury trial of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and two counts of false reporting.
Hoa will be arrested and indicted in November 2022, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24.
Massachusetts state trooper arrested on suspicion of hitting detained man with baton
“Officers who abused their authority will continue to be held accountable by our department,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy.
Police officers are seen wearing belts and carrying professional weapons, batons and irritant sprayers. A Fall River police officer was found guilty Thursday of assaulting a man in custody with a baton and failing to report the assault. (Jens Kalaene/Photo in partnership with Getty Images)
According to prosecutors, on December 21, 2020, while on duty at the Fall River Police Department, Hoa used a baton to strike a man in the forehead while he was being arrested, injuring him.
According to investigators, Hoa filed two reports that day and the next day that omitted any mention of the fact that he had hit the man with a baton.
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The man sued the city and settled in 2022 for $65,000, the Fall River Herald-News reported.
Hoa had maintained his innocence.
The charge of deprivation of rights under the Causing Injury Act is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to $250,000 in fines.
The charge of false reporting carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Sentencing will be handed down by a federal district court judge.
