BOSCAWEN, NEW HAMPSHIRE - A former Boscawen police officer is facing accusations of using excessive force against a man already handcuffed and on his way to jail.
The incident was recorded by security cameras at the Merrimack County House of Corrections.
Last July, when Officer Daniel Ball arrested Chris Smith of Boscawen after a domestic incident, cameras at the jail showed Ball putting on a pair of gloves and taking Smith out of the back of his police cruiser.
The video showed what looked like an exchange of words. For a few moments, Ball holds Smith in place, and then in a whirling motion, Ball slams Smith onto the hood of the cruiser and back into the wall.
Smith is now filing a civil lawsuit against Ball, the Boscawen Police Department, the jail and Officer Nick Emery. Smith claims Emery corroborated Ball’s version of what happened.
“Chris Smith was knocked unconscious by this. He had blood on his face. The video reflects that there was a pool of blood that formed underneath his head,” said Rick Lehmann, Smith’s attorney.
Smith was charged with two crimes for what was seen in the video: resisting arrest and criminal mischief for denting the police cruiser with his head.
A jury found him not guilty on the latter charge but convicted him of resisting arrest.
Efforts to reach the Boscawen Police Department, the town of Boscawen and the Merrimack County Jail for comment were unsuccessful.
