Eureka Police Sgt. Adam Laird pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he used excessive force and filed a false report while on duty last year.
Arrested on April 17 after reportedly being accused of misconduct by a fellow officer, Laird faces misdemeanor charges of committing assault under the color of authority and knowingly filing a false police report stemming from a Dec. 6, 2012, incident. The arrest was the culmination of months-long parallel investigations by the Eureka Police Department and the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities have yet to provide any details surrounding the allegations facing Laird. On Monday, Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos declined to comment on the case.
”The charges speak for themselves,” he said.
Eureka attorney Patrik Griego, who is representing Laird, also declined to discuss the case other than to confirm his client’s not guilty plea.
According to the criminal complaint filed against Laird, the officer is alleged to have “assaulted and beat John Doe under the color of authority” while acting as a police sergeant. The complaint also alleges that, when filing a report on the incident, Laird “knowingly and intentionally included a statement and statements regarding a material matter which the defendant knew to be false.”
Laird was placed on paid administrative leave after the allegations surfaced, pending completion of the EPD’s internal investigation. Eureka Personnel Director Gary Bird said Monday that Laird’s employment status has not changed.
Hired by EPD in 2005, Laird was promoted to sergeant in 2011 and has served as one of the department’s training officers. This isn’t the first time Laird has faced allegations of excessive force.
Laird was one of two officers found to have used excessive force against during the Aug. 9, 2007, arrest of Martin Frederick Cotton II, who died a short time after being taken into custody. In her ruling — which found Laird personally liable for $30,000 in damages to the Cotton family — U.S. District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong described Laird’s reported use of batons, kicks, and knees during the altercation, saying there was overwhelming evidence that Laird and fellow officers “beat” Cotton.
Following the ruling, EPD and city officials defended the actions of Laird and his fellow officers, with EPD Chief Murl Harpham saying they had been “wronged” and are “good people” incapable of doing what had been accused.
In the wake of his arrest, no such statements have been made publicly about Laird this time.
”We will not tolerate misconduct by any of our officers, and firmly believe and stand behind the Police Officer’s Code of Ethics, that each of our officers are expected to conduct themselves under that code,” Harpham said at a news conference called to announce Laird’s arrest.
After the press conference, Eureka Mayor Frank Jager said EPD has handled Laird’s situation well.
”He was a bit aggressive in his dealings but he was a good officer other than that,” Jager said. “It appears he went a little too far in this case.”
Thadeus Greenson can be reached at 441-0509 or tgreenson@times-standard.com.