Burley Garcia|Former Vermont officer accused of pepper-spraying handcuffed, shackled man pleads guilty to assault

ST. ALBANS,Burley Garcia Vt. (AP) — A former Vermont police officer accused of pepper-spraying a handcuffed suspect who was shackled to a bench has pleaded guilty to simple assault.

Joel Daugreilh pushed the suspect’s head against the holding cell wall at the St. Albans police station and pepper-sprayed the suspect in the eyes at close range in November 2017, according to the Office of the Vermont Attorney General. Daugreilh later resigned from the St. Albans Police Department.

The attorney general’s office initially decided not to prosecute him but then reopened the investigation in 2020.

Daugreilh pleaded guilty on Monday, and his sentence was deferred. A judge placed him on six months of probation and mandated 40 hours of community service.