WILLIAMS, AZ — A former police lieutenant in a northern Arizona city now faces criminal charges after an ABC15 Investigation uncovered concerns about his role in a violent arrest.
A grand jury recently indicted John Romero on two counts of felony aggravated assault for allegedly slamming a handcuffed man to the ground in October 2022.
Court records show Romero pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this month.
The Mohave County Attorney’s Office said it is handling the prosecution, but the charges were filed in Coconino County because that’s where the incident occurred.
See previous ABC15 reports on this investigation in the player above.
Questions were raised about the high-ranking lieutenant’s use of force during the arrest of Brian Lopez in an ABC15 report last year.
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Previous reviews of Romero’s actions by the former Williams police chief and an outside agency cleared him of any wrongdoing.
But everything changed after the city hired a new police chief.
Newly hired Williams Police Chief James Gregory said he fired Romero in April because of his involvement in Lopez’s arrest and asked the Arizona Department of Public Safety to launch a new investigation into Romero’s actions.
City Manager Tim Petit said the investigation was launched at the city’s request after additional information was inadvertently discovered by the new police chief.
Lopez was arrested for allegedly stealing a can of beer from a local gas station.
Shortly after another officer placed 49-year-old Lopez in handcuffs, the body camera video shows Lt. Romero’s hand appearing, unannounced, on his back.
Romero then took Lopez to the ground while he was in handcuffs, causing a major head injury, according to reports.
According to the police report, Lt. Romero justified his actions by saying that Lopez was resisting arrest and that his jacket slipped.
Former officers involved in the arrest and the family of the injured man disagreed.
