Pretrial hearings will begin Monday for a Meriden police officer charged with police brutality.
The charges against Evan Cossette, 25, stem from a May 2010
video that shows him pushing a handcuffed prisoner backward into a holding
cell, causing the prisoner to fall and injure his head. Cossette's attorney is
trying to keep the video from being used as evidence at the trial.
Cossette, the son of Meriden Chief Jeffry Cossette, is charged
with using unreasonable force and obstruction of justice, and faces a maximum
of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
The video came to light after fellow officers Brian Sullivan and
Donald Huston wrote a letter to city officials claiming Cossette was receiving
preferential treatment within the department because of nepotism.
The video shows Evan Cossette pushing prisoner Pedro Temich, who
falls and hits his head on a concrete bench. The indictment calls Cossette's
action a "firm shove."
Temich, who was knocked unconscious by the fall, was taken to
MidState Medical Center in Meriden and given 12 stitches in the back of his
head. He had been arrested after fighting with officers who responded to a
party; he was found to have a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.
A number of motions have been filed in the case, including the motion
to suppress the video, Cossette's attorney Raymond Hassett said.
There are "questions as to the video's integrity," he
said. Contradictory evidence shows the video may not be complete, he said.
All of the motions filed, including a motion to dismiss the
charges and motions to limit witness testimony, will be heard in U.S. District
Court on Monday, Hassett said.
Cossette is on paid administrative leave from the department
pending the outcome of the case.