BOSTON — Fall River police officer Nicholas Hoar, accused of lying on police reports to cover up his use of excessive force on a man in custody inside a jail cell three years ago, was found guilty Thursday after a four-day trial.
After four hours of deliberation at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. District Court in Boston, Hoar, 37, was found guilty on all three counts: one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, resulting in bodily injury, and two counts of filing false reports for lying about the incident.
U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs will sentence Hoar on April 24. He will remain free on bail until the hearing.
Hoar, a fifth-generation Fall River police officer, is still employed by the Fall River Police Department. He has been on unpaid leave since his indictment in November 2022.
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Hoar was convicted of striking William Harvey, 58, in the head with a police expandable baton as he and other officers were placing him in a jail cell after his arrest on a domestic complaint on Dec. 21, 2020.