College cop charged with assaulting subordinate

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A community college police officer has been ordered to house arrest after pleading not guilty to assault and intimidation charges in a dispute with a subordinate in Worcester.

The Telegram & Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/WAV1p3) a judge set $10,000 cash bail Friday for Quinsigamond Community College police Sgt. Mark Brooks after a two-day dangerousness hearing.

Prosecutor Timothy Westerman said Brooks "snapped" Jan. 31 when Officer Andrea Prinsen confronted him after he allegedly failed to respond to a request for backup while she was investigating a suspicious car.

Prinsen testified that Brooks, her supervisor, threw her to the ground, tried to choke her, and sprayed her with pepper spray.

Brooks' lawyer said it's a "he said-she said" situation that grew out of earlier friction between the two. He said Brooks has an "impeccable" record.

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Information from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.), http://www.telegram.com

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