Mercer Sheriff vehicle.jpg
File photo of a Mercer County Sheriff's Officer vehicle
(Brendan McGrath/The Times)
TRENTON – A Mercer County Sheriff's Officer who remains on suspension for allegedly pepper-spraying a handcuffed woman in December has been indicted by a Mercer County grand jury.
According to a Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office press release, the grand jury returned its indictment last week, charging Sean Lavin, 42, of Hamilton with second-degree official misconduct and third-degree tampering with public records.
The indictment stems from a Dec. 6 incident in which Lavin allegedly used his department-issued pepper spray on a woman who had been arrested and handcuffed outside an event at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton.
Prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio previously told the Times that the woman was ticketed by Lavin and issued “an improper behavior summons.”
The indictment also alleges that four days after the incident Lavin also made false entries in police reports and “attempted to cause” subordinate officers to file false reports regarding arrests made at the event.
Lavin, a Hamilton resident, is a 13-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, and was promoted to sergeant in March 2006, according to archives.
Second-degree crimes carry a penalty of five to 10 years in prison, while third-degree offenses carry a penalty of three to five years in prison.
Lavin’s lawyer, Darryl Saunders, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
There are no scheduled court dates at this time.
2 trchristie HINDASH.JPG
CONNECT WITH US:
On mobile or desktop:
• Like Times of Trenton on Facebook
• Follow @TimesofTrenton on Twitter