A former Vermont State Police trooper pleaded not guilty today to charges he assaulted a teenager after responding to a call last November.
Thirty-four-year-old John F. Plaster is charged with aggravated assault and simple assault after responding to a call about a car that had been taken without permission.
He’s accused of assaulting a man after being called to the Eden home of Lauris Slutz. Slutz had reported that her 18-year-old son – Brian – had taken her car.
Police say that Brian Slutz had returned the car by the time Plaster arrived, but that Slutz became verbally abusive and refused to comply with Plaster’s commands.
Plaster allegedly put Slutz into a choke hold until he was unresponsive and pushed him into a concrete wall.
Plaster, who left the force two months ago and no longer lives in Vermont, has been ordered to have no contact with Slutz and his mother and to stay away from their home.