Cranston Officer Found Guilty Of Assaulting Man In Custody

CRANSTON, RI — A Cranston officer was found guilty of assaulting a man in police custody last March, Attorney General Peter Neronha's Office said. Officer Andrew Leonard, 40, was given a one-year suspended sentence and ordered not to have contact with his victim.

The simple assault charge came from a March 5, 2020 arrest. According to Neronha's office, Leonard punched and kneed Gian Mattiello while he was in custody at Cranston Police Headqarters.

Mattiello had been arrested earlier that day as part of a domestic incident. While he was being processed at the police station, Leonard punched him in the abdomen, the statement said. Following a "scuffle," Leonard continued to hit Mattiello in the head and knee him in the abdomen, after Mattiello stopped fighting, Neronha's office said.

Following a three-day trial, Leonard was found guilty. The prosecution recommended a sentence of one year in prison, with 90 days to serve and the rest suspended.

"I am grateful for the Court’s guilty verdict today, which was plainly warranted based on the evidence presented at trial," Neronha said. "Police may use force in exercising their duty to protect the public, but that use of force must be reasonable and necessary under the circumstances. As the Court found, there was no need to use force here. The defendant invited conflict, apparently believing that his position as a police officer would shield him from the consequences of his actions. He was mistaken."

Neronha went on to say that while police officers "have a difficult and often thankless job ... it is imperative that we take strong action to hold them appropriately accountable for such misconduct" when they violate their oath to protect and serve the public.

"I am grateful to the prosecution team, including the Rhode Island State Police, for their diligence in ensuring a successful prosecution in this important case," Neronha concluded. "I am also grateful to Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist for immediately recognizing the defendant’s misconduct at the time it occurred and bringing that misconduct to the attention of this Office and the State Police."