BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A Vermont judge has rejected two attempted plea deals for a former police officer accused of lying in an affidavit.
Twenty-seven-year-old Christopher Lopez, a former Burlington police officer, instead pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of lying to police. The Burlington Free Press reports (https://bfpne.ws/2f86LOD ) he is due back in court on Oct. 18.
Lopez resigned in February after officials say they suspected he lied in an affidavit concerning a traffic stop. Lopez wrote that he smelled marijuana from a stopped car, but body camera footage appears to show him telling another officer he didn’t smell anything.
Lopez maintains the suspected lie was a drafting error.
The charges against the man Lopez stopped were eventually dismissed, and he received a settlement of $100,000 from the city.
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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com
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