Police commissioners Thursday discussed disciplinary actions concerning two veteran officers.
Detective Sgt. Ron Goodmaster faced a three-day, unpaid suspension for violating the department’s policy on telling the truth at all times. As part of his grievance settlement, his suspension will count as paid vacation time — and he will receive 2.5 hours of overtime pay.
An internal investigation claimed that in a Feb. 12 discussion with a supervisor, Goodmaster hadn’t been entirely truthful about whether he had handed out a memo concerning the chain of command to sergeants in the department.
Goodmaster filed the grievance through the police union after commissioners voted to suspend him for three days without pay.
At a May 11 hearing, Goodmaster said department officials singled him out for speaking up about mismanagement within the department.
One of the two commissioners who voted against suspending Goodmaster, James Simpson, cited Goodmaster’s impeccable 21-year career with the department in his original decision not to suspend him.
Simpson was among those who supported Goodmaster’s grievance, 3 – 2 on Thursday. The two who didn’t support Goodmaster’s grievance, Lucy McConologue and Steve Chucta, are two of the three members who supported his suspension last month.
The commission was less divided on another officer, voting unanimously to allow 20-year veteran Sgt. John C. D’Antona to return to duty after more than a month of paid leave.
D’Antona will report for his first scheduled shift on Saturday.
The sergeant has been on paid administrative leave since a March 28 incident that led to his April 1 arrest on domestic violence charges. D’Antona, 40, allegedly hit his son in the face.
He was originally charged with risk of injury to a minor and third-degree assault. He has since pleaded guilty to second-degree breach of peace, a misdemeanor. He is scheduled for sentencing in Superior Court in Derby July 29.
