EG Police Officer Found Guilty Of Assault

East Greenwich Police Officer Bryan McManus was found guilty of assault last week, according to his lawyer, after being charged with punching a 20-year-old man in the face outside of a Providence restaurant in October.

McManus, 37, was convicted on charges of punching a 20-year-old man in the face after the man accused McManus of knocking over a decorative cow in front of Harry’s Burger Bar in Providence. McManus was ordered to pay court costs, and his conviction was filed for one year, meaning he will be on a form of probation for one year.

East Greenwich Police Chief Thomas Coyle said McManus is still on paid leave, pending the outcome of a potential hearing with the state Officers Bill of Rights Commission, the body that oversees disciplinary matters for Rhode Island police personnel.

John Lynch Jr., McManus' attorney, said the longtime local police officer is now waiting to hear from the Officers Bill of Rights Commission to see if he will be disciplined for the matter by the town of East Greenwich. In Rhode Island, many police officer disciplinary matters go before the Officers Bill of Rights Commission.

Both McManus and the town of East Greenwich get to select a current or former Rhode Island police officer to decide whether McManus should be disciplined for the incident. Those two representatives will pick a third officer to help them determine the merits of the case.

Lynch said that process could take six months to play out. He added that he expects McManus will retain his job as an East Greenwich law enforcement officer.

"He's been a good cop," Lynch said. "He's made a number of good arrests."

Lynch mentioned McManus' high-profile arrest of the man accused of robbing at knife-point a woman in the Dave's Marketplace parking lot earlier this year, as well as thwarting the attempt by several young men to steal from cars in the same parking lot.

Conversely, this is not McManus' first time running afoul of the law. In 2004, he was charged with assaulting a man outside of the Grille on Main. Those charges were eventually dropped, Lynch said. And, in 2008, he was charged with refusing to submit to a chemical test in West Warwick, where he lives. While those charges were also dismissed, the state is appealing that dismisal, Lynch said.