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James Ready, 27, of Putnam Valley, was arraigned this week following an indictment by a grand jury for allegedly assaulting a defendant in his custody and attempting to falsify the record of it, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr., said.
At the time of the alleged assault, Ready was a probationary officer with the Mount Vernon Police Department.
It is alleged that on Nov. 23 last year, Ready was in charge of a suspect in police custody who had been taken to the Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital emergency room to seek medical attention.
At approximately 1:30 a.m. that night, Ready was attempting to return the suspect to Mount Vernon Police Headquarters for processing, Scarpino said.
At the time, while the suspect was handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, Ready allegedly picked up the suspect, flipped him over, and threw him to the floor headfirst, causing serious injury. The incident was captured on a hospital surveillance video.
It is further alleged that Ready falsified official records by recording a false narrative of the incident.
Ready - who is no longer with the Mount Vernon Police Department - was charged with two counts each of second-degree assault and falsifying business records. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, Jan. 28 and bail was set at $25,000 cash bail or bond.
“Today we unsealed an indictment against a police officer for an on-duty felony assault of a prisoner and for lying about the incident,” Scarpino said. Not only did James Ready seriously injure his victim, he breached the public trust.
"We will hold this defendant accountable as we would anyone else facing such serious criminal charges. These charges do not reflect on any other Mount Vernon Police officers who continue to serve their community.”
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