Suffolk officer accused of falsifying information in police report faces possible prison time

A special grand jury says Matthew Cameron made a false sworn statement when charging Christopher Cruz with resisting arrest back in February.

News 12 Staff

Dec 2, 2021, 8:54 PM

Updated 1,039 days ago

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A Suffolk officer was indicted for allegedly filing false information in a police report on Thursday.
A special grand jury says Matthew Cameron made a false sworn statement when charging Christopher Cruz with resisting arrest back in February.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said in a release that the indictment comes after a "nine-month investigation" into the actions of Cruz and multiple Suffolk police officers. The conclusion was that the special grand jury did not see reasonable cause that the other officers committed a crime.
It stems from an incident caught on body cam video.
Police say Cruz had stolen a Jeep and collided with two police cruisers while fleeing.
Cruz's attorney says Cameron is one of the officers accused of punching and kicking Cruz during the arrest.
"A person who is in police custody who was beaten has been treated as though he has no rights," says Cruz's attorney Fred Brewington.
Cameron is accused of saying that Cruz resisted arrest during the incident.
Attorney Bill Petrillo representing Cameron says his client pleaded not guilty to the charge.
"Officer Cameron is a highly active and well-respected Suffolk County police officer," Petrillo says. "He has been involved in over 1,400 arrests with no complaints ever being made against him."
Brewington was critical of the district attorney's office for not notifying him or the media ahead of the officer's arraignment.
"Essentially usher a police officer into a courtroom and usher him out so that no one in the public would know ahead of time," Brewington says.
If convicted, Cameron could face up to 364 days in prison.