Providence police chief recommends officer accused of punching candidate be fired

PROVIDENCE — Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements Jr. has recommended that police officer Jeann Lugo be terminated from his post after Lugo was charged with assaulting a candidate for state Senate at an abortion-rights protest.

On Tuesday, police spokeswoman Lindsay Lague said that in addition to the simple assault and disorderly conduct charges against Lugo, he "faces internal charges for violation of the Providence Police Department’s Rules and Regulations."

That includes obedience to laws and rules, standard of conduct, courtesy, rules governing conduct, and demeanor.

Under the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights, which governs how an officer may be disciplined in alleged misconduct cases, Lague said, the Police Department's administration believes termination is the proper penalty.

What we know: Providence police officer charged with assault at abortion-rights rally

Digging Deeper: Jeann Lugo once praised right-wing protesters for 'getting in front of people's faces'

What the Providence Police Department is saying

A five-page document signed by Clements upbraided Lugo for having brought "dishonor, discredit, embarrassment, and reputational harm to the Providence Police Department."

Continuing, Clements said described Lugo's behavior as "disturbing, egregious, assaultive and unprofessional."

The document, which outlines the internal charges, states that during Friday's demonstration, Lugo struck Rourke on the left side of her face with his right hand, then struck her again "in the area of her face" with his left hand before walking away.

Speaking to The Journal shortly after the chaos, Lugo did not deny having punched Rourke.

On Tuesday, Lugo's attorney, Daniel Griffin, said both are"shocked and extremely disappointed in the City's decision today."

"To make this decision so hastily really flies in the face of due process and fair treatment.  It's unclear  if the State Police has even completed the entirety of its investigation, and yet the City has moved to terminate one of its own police officers---one with an unblemished record--- just 72 hours after charges were brought," Griffin said in an email.

"Quite frankly, Officer Lugo expected more from his City," he added. "However, he remains confident that the facts of this situation will be brought to light and show that he is innocent of any wrongdoing."

Another perspective emerges

Shortly before news of Clements' recommendation broke, The Journal spoke with another person who was assaulted during the protest: Josh Mello.

Mello was live streaming the protest, and appeared to have been heckling demonstrators when they began encircling him and telling him to leave.

Mello said a man at the protest incorrectly identified him as a member of the right-wing group Citizens Organized to Restore Rights, which holds various conservative positions and states that it believes "the government is out of control."

However, Mello said that while he is not a CORR member, he has attended its meetings and rallies. Instead, Mello described himself as a member of the right-wing Rhode Island Freedom Fighters, which states on its Facebook page that Nick Morrell and Jessica Burton, whom state police arrested that night, are members. The Journal has not been able to confirm this, though Mello said he knows Morrell and Burton, as well as Lugo.

In an email to The Journal, the Freedom Fighters said Mello, Morrell and Burton "were not there as counter protestors, they were just there to experience and document what was going on, as this is a historical moment in our American timeline."

"Everyone is allowed at the State House, and nobody from our side was looking for trouble," the group said.

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Reflecting on the evening, when demonstrators gathered around him, Mello described being "overwhelmed," "uncertain" and "nervous."

"I believe I was trying to be as neutral and as accommodating as possible," Mello said, adding, "I was basically trying to go back up to the steps, and my trying to negotiate going up the steps and not down seemed to almost create more of a problem."

Eventually, an unidentified man in a green jacket punched Mello, who later filed a police report. Mello said he did not recognize the man.

Following the assault, as the situation spun out of control, Lugo is accused of punching Rourke, which Mello described as "100% wrong," despite contending that the public should not weigh in on the matter and there's a "larger picture" that hasn't been seen.

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What's next for Lugo

Now that Clements has made his recommendation, Lugo has five days to request a hearing in keeping with the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights, which Griffin said Lugo will "absolutely" do.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence police chief recommends firing officer Jeann Lugo