Former Pepperell police sergeant accused of choking woman in jail cell
A former Pepperell Police Department sergeant is accused of choking a woman while she was in protective custody at the station and filing a false police report to cover up the incident, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.
Armando Herrera, 53, is charged with strangulation, willfully misleading the police in a criminal investigation, and filing a false written report by a public officer or employee, authorities said. He was arraigned Thursday in Middlesex Superior Court.
Around 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 7, Pepperell police placed an allegedly intoxicated woman under protective custody. At the station, Herrera was responsible for booking her and putting her in a cell, according to the DA’s office. The woman started yelling, and Herrera went into her cell and choked her until another officer intervened and separated the two of them, authorities said.
Following the incident, Herrera filed a police report that told a different story, leading to an internal investigation, authorities said. The investigation was referred to the DA’s office, and in early October, Herrera resigned from the department.
Herrera was released following the arraignment and ordered to stay away from the victim, authorities said. He is scheduled back in court on Dec. 2.
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