A former Meriden police officer sentenced to prison time on charges of using unreasonable force against a handcuffed man and lying about it in a report has been released.
Evan Cossette, the son of police Chief Jeffry Cossette, was sentenced in September of 2013 to as much as two years in prison with the possibility of a year of supervised release. Meriden police said Wednesday that he's been released.
Surveillance video played during the trial showed Cossette pushing Pedro Temich into a jail cell in 2010. Temich fell and hit his head on a concrete bench, causing a 12-centimeter gash and knocking Temich unconscious, according to prosecutors.
Cossette testified in court that he didn't intend to injure Temich. He said he thought Temich was about to head-butt him when he pushed him and was surprised he fell.
