Former Westchester Cop From Putnam Indicted on Assault Charges
A Putnam County man who was a probationary police officer with the Mount Vernon Police Department was recently arraigned on charges of alleged assault of a person in custody.
According to Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino Jr., James Ready, 27, of Putnam Valley, was arraigned following an indictment by a Westchester County Grand Jury, which was unsealed by Westchester County Court Judge Susan Cacace.
Prosecutors allege that on Nov. 23, Ready was in charge of a suspect who had been taken to the Montefiore-Mount Vernon Hospital emergency department to seek medical attention. Around 1:30 a.m., Ready was attempting to return the suspect to MVPD headquarters. At the time, the man was handcuffed and shackled at the ankles.
Ready allegedly picked him up, flipped him over, and threw him to the floor head first, causing serious injury. The incident was reportedly captured on hospital surveillance video.
Ready is also accused of recording a false narrative of the incident.
He was arraigned on two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of first-degree falsifying business records, felonies, and surrendered himself to the court Jan. 28 for arraignment. Bail was set at $25,000 cash/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,” said Scarpino. “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.”
Ready is no longer with the department, and Scarpino noted that his charges should not reflect on any other Mount Vernon police officers who continue to serve their community.
