A Wilmington police sergeant facing potential felony charges for slapping a handcuffed woman is suing the department claiming Chief Wilfredo Campos broke police union rules trying to ramp up the officer’s departmental punishment for the incident.
Sgt. Caro Spearman was indicted by criminal prosecutors earlier this year for a 2024 incident on the Wilmington Riverfront where investigators said he slapped a handcuffed woman who was on the ground and had spat on him.
In criminal court, Spearman faces potential felony charges including official misconduct as well as misdemeanor offensive touching and assault. His lawsuit, filed in late August, centers on a separate, secretive process within the police department aimed at deciding whether he broke departmental regulations for the incident…