PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — A police officer charged with punching a 73-year-old casino bathroom attendant because “the water was too cold” is seeking to avoid prison time.
The Providence Journal reports that 36-year-old Pawtucket, Rhode Island, officer Michael Tousignant was charged with assaulting an elderly person.
Authorities say Tousignant was off-duty at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut on April 1 when he complained to the attendant and then “smacked him.”
He was charged by Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Police.
Tousignant said during booking that he had been with Pawtucket police for 10 years after serving in the military.
He has applied for a court program that would allow him to avoid a criminal conviction and prison. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.
Pawtucket police say Tousignant is on administrative duty and under investigation.
