UPDATE JAN. 11, 2018: Richard Scavone was sentenced Thursday to 12 months in prison and one year of supervised release for his use of excessive force during an arrest of a woman in 2015, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and complete 300 hours of community service after serving his term of imprisonment.
UPDATE 5 P.M. SEPT. 29, 2017: Las Vegas police have released body-camera footage of a former officer assaulting a handcuffed woman he suspected of engaging in prostitution.
The footage was taken in 2015 when the incident occurred but was not released due to the ongoing criminal case against the former officer involved, Richard Scavone. He pleaded guilty in court this week.
Scavone was terminated from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Sept. 10, 2015.
WARNING: The video below contains explicit content and may not suitable for some viewers. The most graphic content is at the end of the video.
ORIGINAL STORY
Former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer Richard Scavone pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to assaulting a handcuffed woman in his custody.
According to his admission, on Jan. 6, 2015, at approximately 5:00 a.m., Scavone and the ride-along encountered a woman who was talking on the phone and holding a cup of coffee. When Scavone told the woman to “move along,” she responded that she was waiting on someone and threw her cup of coffee to the ground.
Scavone, who was wearing a body-worn camera that recorded video and audio, exited his patrol car and approached her with a Taser in hand.
Scavone admitted that while she was handcuffed, he shoved her to the ground, grabbed her by the neck with his hand and threw her to the ground. He also struck her in the forehead with an open palm, grabbed her by the head and slammed her face onto the hood of his patrol vehicle, grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face onto the hood of his patrol vehicle a second time, and slammed her into the door of his patrol vehicle.
Scavone admitted that he took those actions without legal justification and that he knew his actions were against the law.
Scavone faces a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Sentencing will be held on Jan. 11, 2018.
