Once called a hero, KC-area police chief convicted of assault. See The Star’s coverage
Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of physical assault and domestic violence.
Former police chief Greg Hallgrimson’s career was marked by dramatic ups and downs during — and after — his time in the small town of Greenwood, Missouri, about half an hour’s drive southeast of downtown Kansas City.
In 2018, he made headlines for helping rescue a baby from a freezing pond.
But shortly after being hailed as a hero, he came under investigation and was later convicted of physically assaulting the baby’s father, a suspect in the case.
Then, on Tuesday, he was convicted of beating his ex-wife, who reported in June 2020 that she lost conscousness aftr he punched her in the face.
Want to know the whole story? Here’s a look back at The Star’s coverage over the years.
Helped save an infant from drowning
In late 2018, Hallgrimson was involved in the dramatic rescue of an infant whose father, 28-year-old Jonathon Stephen Zicarelli, had attempted to drown her in a pond.
After Zicarelli turned himself in, Hallgrimson and another officer raced to the pond and found the baby floating in the water. They brought her back to land and performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
The infant survived, in what one officer called “a miracle.”
The department received word later that day that she was in stable condition and improving.
Read more: ‘A miracle’: Infant survives floating in Missouri pond after dad says he drowned her
Assault of baby’s father at police station
Hallgrimson was hailed as a hero after the dramatic rescue. But just over a month later, he was placed on administrative leave during a federal investigation into his excessive use of force against the suspect.
Body camera footage showed Hallgrimson assaulting Zicarelli in an interrogation room after the pond rescue by punching him repeatedly, throwing him to the floor, sitting on him and screaming at him. Zicarelli was handcuffed at the time.
Hallgrimson was placed on administrative leave and resigned from the force in 2019. Later that year he was indicted by a grand jury for violating Zicarelli’s civil rights and sentenced to five years’ probation.
Prosecutors charged Zicarelli with first-degree domestic assault — the crime Hallgrimson was just convicted of.
Zicarelli was eventually sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Read more: Police chief investigated for use of force with man who allegedly tried to drown child
Call for mental health resources
In a 2021 interview with The Star, Hallgrimson attributed his behavior in part to the “trauma” of seeing the 6-month-old floating in the freezing water.
He also called for more mental health resources for law enforcement officers — but added that he didn’t have consistent access to this support in Tulsa, where he moved after the case concluded.
He told The Star that he was forced to lean on his wife for this support instead.
Read more: Ex-Missouri police chief calls for trauma resources after assaulting man who hurt baby
Domestic assault
Hallgrimson and his wife divorced in 2017, but were still living together in 2020, when he assaulted her by punching her in the face, knocking her temporarily unconscious.
His ex-wife didn’t report the crime until late 2021, at which point the Kansas City Police Department began investigating the case.
A jury found Hallgrimson guilty Tuesday of first degree domestic assault, a Class A felony that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. A Clay County judge is scheduled to sentence him Oct. 20.
“This case demonstrates that delayed disclosure is not a bar to justice,” Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said Tuesday. “If someone is a victim of domestic abuse in Clay County, our office will do everything in its power to help them obtain justice.”
Read more: Ex-suburban KC police chief who ‘brutally assaulted’ wife convicted of felony: Prosecutor
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available. Local domestic violence resource centers include Hope House Kansas City, the Rose Brooks Center, Newhouse KC and Friends of Yates.
The Star’s Bill Lukitsch contributed.
Do you have more questions about police violence in Kansas or Missouri? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
