(CN) - One current and two retired Baltimore City police officers were charged with civil rights and obstruction of justice violations Wednesday, after they purportedly assaulted an arrested juvenile with a baton and pool stick in 2004.
In April 2004, Gregory Mussmacher purportedly assaulted the juvenile with a baton, while Guy Gerstel is charged with using the pool stick. Both also face obstruction of justice charges for lying to investigators. Gerstel was additionally charged with making false statements for lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which could add an extra five years to his prison term if found guilty.
Sergeant Wayne Thompson is charged with obstructing justice for writing false statements in a report about the incident and for persuading other officers not to fill out the required reports during the investigation.
Mussmacher is a current officer. Thompson and Gerstel are retired, but all three were officers at the time of the reported assault.
Each civil rights offense carries a 10 year maximum sentence. Obstruction of justice violations carry a 20 year maximum sentence each, and false statement charges each involve a 5 year maximum sentence.
The Department of Justice declined to give the age of the juvenile in an effort to protect his identity.
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines April 17, 2024 -
-
Contributor-Test-Post-2024-04-12 April 12, 2024 -
