By JAMES A. KIMBLE
BRENTWOOD — An ex-Salem police
officer was indicted for allegedly assaulting a man following a high-speed
pursuit along Interstate 93.
Joseph Freda, 33, of Salem, is
facing two counts of simple assault by an on-duty law enforcement officer for
allegedly striking Thomas Templeton in the head with a flashlight on Oct. 6,
according to state prosecutors.
Freda allegedly later stepped
on Templeton's hands while he was handcuffed and sitting on the ground.
A grand jury returned the
indictments against Freda in Rockingham County Superior Court.
The indictments come just days
after Templeton, 40, of York, Maine, pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and a
misdemeanor resisting arrest charge.
Templeton is serving a 12-month
jail sentence, and received a second 12-month sentence that will be deferred if
he remains on good behavior. Templeton will likely be a key witness for state
prosecutors if Freda goes forward with a trial.
Freda faces an enhanced
misdemeanor that could mean potential state prison time because he carried out
the assaults while he was an on-duty police officer, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say the assault
happened moments after a state trooper and Windham police sergeant had arrested
Templeton after a high-speed pursuit.
Templeton had sped away in a
black Jeep Cherokee from a Windham police sergeant and set off on Interstate 93
around 1:50 a.m., according to court records.
Templeton drove along Veterans
Memorial Parkway in Salem in the opposite lane, and later onto Main Street
where he was apprehended in a wooded area near the Massachusetts state line by
state and local police, according to court records.
Freda had taken Templeton into
custody after the arrest and allegedly assaulted him, according to the state
Attorney General's Office.
Freda was fired by the town on
Jan. 21. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bail. He will be
arraigned on the charges April 24 in superior court.