By Molly Eadie
TROY Officer Michael Johnson has resigned after an
internal investigation into his off-duty actions, while two of his colleagues
have been suspended without pay for unrelated incidents, officals confirmed.
Officers Sean McMahon and
Dominick Comitale were both suspended this week, months after two separate
internal investigations concluded, officials say.
Johnson was suspended for 30
days without pay in March after accompanying a woman who was allegedly buying
heroin in Hudson, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation. The
woman was arrested, but Johnson did not face any charges.
Officials say Johnson’s last
day was Friday.
Comitale’s actions were
investigated after he was said to have videotaped a female patient at Samaritan
Hospital who was under the influence of hallucinogenics, a violation of
department protocol.
He had previously been
investigated by the department for mishandling an incident with a former Hudson
Valley Community College student and football player.
While assisting another officer
in arresting the student for jaywalking, Comitale took the student’s cell phone
after a scuffle while attempting to place him in handcuffs, and placed the
phone in his patrol car.
He later informed then-Police
Benevolent Association President Bob Fitzgerald that he’d lost the phone, and
needed money to pay the student back before he left the area for his
out-of-state hometown. Fitzgerald previously said he gave Comitale more than
$800 in cash to reimburse the student and was later paid back by Comitale.
The investigation into McMahon
concerned charges of excessive force used on Lawrence Nesmith, 48, of Troy.
Nesmith was reportedly injured and bloodied after handcuffs were placed on him
in the department’s holding cells, and the incident was recorded on the
department’s cameras.
