Massachusetts Cop Indicted for Lying About Checking Cell of Prisoner Who Died of Drug Overdose
In May 2021, a former Brockton, Massachusetts police officer was indicted for allegedly lying about performing checks on a man in police custody who died in his cell of a drug overdose.
Alfonso Brandao, 27, was arrested on November 13, 2020, after crashing his car into a police cruiser and fleeing on foot. He was booked at the police station for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. He was searched and placed in a cell. A few hours later, he was found dead.
Anthony Louis, 40, was a Brockton police officer working at the station. He allegedly falsely wrote in his official report of the incident that he performed all required cell checks. He later submitted a supplemental narrative in which he said that he failed to perform each required cell check. Louis also falsely told several state troopers who were investigating the death that he had performed the cell checks and saw no issues with Brandao. Brandao’s unresponsive body was found during a routine cell check at about 3:45 a.m. on November 14, 2020.
A Plymouth County grand jury indicted Louis on May 17, 2021, for misleading a police investigation and filing a false police report.
“Brockton Police contacted Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and an investigation commenced,” read a statement the District Attorney’s Office issued following the indictment. “Detectives conducted numerous interviews and reviewed video surveillance as part of their extensive investigation. The state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner took jurisdiction and sustained that Brandao’s death was caused by ‘accidental overdose.’”
Brandao’s brother told The Enterprise that police had informed him that there were three bags of cocaine and fentanyl in Brandao’s cell and he had died of a suspected overdose.
Source: enterprisenews.com, msn.com
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