Ex-Officer Gets 3 Weeks for Assaulting Suspect

A former Seabrook, New Hampshire, police officer caught on video slamming a suspect into a wall in 2009 has been sentenced to 21 days in jail.

The Portsmouth Herald reports a judge on Thursday ordered Mark Richardson to serve 12 months with all but 21 days suspended for two years.

Richardson pleaded guilty in October to a charge of simple assault. He was charged last year after video surfaced showing him pushing Michael Bergeron Jr. into a wall at the Seabrook Police Station.

Bergeron had been charged with driving while intoxicated and possession of drugs. Other officers said Bergeron was struggling and uncooperative when Richardson forced him into the wall.

Defense attorney Peter Perroni says Richardson admits to using excessive force, but says it was a reaction.