A former Fall River police officer was sentenced to at least 18 months in state prison Thursday for assaulting a resident, violating his civil rights, intimidating a witness and filing false police reports in 2019, authorities said.
Michael Pessoa was sentenced to one and a half to three years in state prison, and an additional year of probation, the Bristol district attorney’s office said in a statement.
He was convicted May 31 by a jury in Fall River Superior Court.
“The prison sentence reflected the serious nature of the crimes committed by the defendant,” Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said in the statement. “While his behavior was egregious, it does not reflect upon the vast majority of police officers who are serving and protecting the public under difficult circumstances.”
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On Feb. 12, 2019, Pessoa and three other Fall River police officers responded to a reported dispute at 554 South Main St.
David Lafrance, a resident at the home, told officers his neighbor called the police after hitting his car in the parking lot and refusing to give him the insurance information.
Lafrance complied with being handcuffed and patted down outside the home, the statement said. Officers found no weapons on his body. They determined no charges were warranted.
As Lafrance was being uncuffed, Pessoa called him a “fat [expletive],” the statement said.
Pessoa punched Lafrance in the face, causing Lafrance to land on the ground and momentarily lose consciousness. When Lafrance came to, he was handcuffed on the pavement with all four officers on top of him, and Pessoa’s knee on his head and neck area, statement said.
Pessoa threw Lafrance into his police cruiser and punched him in the mouth, before driving to the police station. He left Lafrance lying on the floor of the backseat, bleeding and handcuffed, for around 10 minutes before bringing him into the station.
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He wrote an arrest report charging Lafrance with resisting arrest, assault, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, threats, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Then, Pessoa told his supervisor that he was unaware Lafrance’s injuries and that he did not transport Lafrance to the station.
The four officers privately discussed what they would each write in use of force reports. The reports stated that Lafrance was disorderly, he failed to follow commands, and threatened to punch the officers.
The next day, Lafrance was arraigned and sent to the hospital.
Charges against Lafrance were ultimately dismissed after he obtained surveillance video from the parking lot, which showed Pessoa punching him in the face.
All four of the officers involved are no longer employed by the city, the statement said.
Claire Law can be reached at claire.law@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @claire_law_.