HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut officials have agreed to reverse the demotion of a state police lieutenant who said he was wrongly accused of drunken driving after rescuing a fellow officer during a 2013 shootout.
A lawsuit settlement obtained Monday by The Associated Press shows officials agreed to reinstate Patrick Torneo to lieutenant from master sergeant and pay his lawyer $40,000.
Torneo sued state police officials over his demotion and five-day suspension.
The lawsuit said Middletown police found Torneo in his cruiser on the side of a road in April 2013, the morning after he pulled a wounded state police detective to safety during a shootout in Westbrook.
Court records show Middletown police treated it as a "medical issue" and no charges were filed.
Anonymous complaints claimed Torneo drove drunk after the shootout.
