BAY CITY (WWJ) — The former Bay City Public Safety Director has pleaded no contest to assault and battery, more than a year after assaulting a teenager who was riding an electric scooter.
Michael Cecchini pled Tuesday under a delayed sentence, which requires him to surrender his Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification, which is a prerequisite for employment as a police officer in the State of Michigan.
Announcing the plea deal, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the surrender of his MCOLES certification means authorities were able to “successfully remove an ill-tempered officer from the police force.”
“This outcome would not have been legally required in sentencing had he been convicted by a jury, and this is a great example of how a plea agreement can allow our prosecutors to secure a specific and critical element of justice more meaningful than incarceration,” Nessel said. “Our public safety officers are not above the law, and public integrity will remain a priority for my department.”
Cecchini announced his retirement from the police department in early October of 2022, a few weeks after he “used his badge to confront” three teens, who had been riding rented bird scooters in an apartment parking lot in Bay City.
One of the teens captured the incident on his phone. Video shows Cecchini threatening the teens with physical violence and arrest. The video claims the teens squealed the tires on the scooter "to avoid crashing."
He goes on to jab one of the teens in the lower chest area with the butt of the flashlight he was carrying. Cecchini continued to argue with the teen until police arrived.
In the video, Cecchini is heard telling the teens they were “disturbing the peace.” After the teen accuses him of committing battery and tells his friend to call the police, Cecchini is seen flashing his badge and saying “nope, I’m the chief of police.”
“It doesn’t work that way, dude,” the teen replies.
"You're gonna tell me the law? What, are you some legal scholar on the Supreme Court?" Cecchini says.
The video ends with Cecchini saying off camera "I'm gonna beat your a**."
Other conditions of Cecchini’s delayed sentence include completion of a court-approved anger management class, 40 hours of community service, no contact with the victim, and he must not engage in any new criminal activity.