Cop Accused Of Body-Slamming Shackled Prisoner At Hospital

MOUNT VERNON, NY — A former police officer has been indicted by a Westchester County Grand Jury for assaulting a man in his custody. He is also charged with falsifying official records, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege that on Nov. 23, probationary Mount Vernon Police Officer James Ready was in charge of a person who was in police custody and had been taken to the Montefiore-Mount Vernon Hospital emergency room to seek medical attention. Around 1:30 a.m., Ready was attempting to return him to MVPD headquarters.

The man in custody was handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said hospital surveillance video recorded Ready picking him up, flipping him over, and throwing him to the floor head first. The man was seriously injured, the DA said.

Ready, 27, then filed a false incident report, Scarpino said.

At the time, the Putnam Valley resident was a probationary officer with the Mount Vernon Police. He is no longer with the department.

The indictment was unsealed by Westchester County Court Judge Susan Cacace. Ready was arraigned on:

• 2 counts of Assault in the Second Degree, a class D violent felony
• 2 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, a class E felony

Ready surrendered to the court Tuesday morning 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," Scarpino said in his announcement. "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. These charges do not reflect on any other Mount Vernon Police Officers who continue to serve their community."

Deputy District Attorney Timothy Ward, of the Superior Court Trial Division, and Assistant District Attorney, Jennifer Sculco, Acting Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division Public Integrity Bureau, are prosecuting the case.