Officer charged with assault on daughter
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Police in Springfield say an officer who was arrested on a domestic assault and battery charge was trying to prevent his teenage daughter from joining a gang.
Officer Jose Diaz entered a not guilty plea Monday at his arraignment in Springfield District Court and was released on his own recognizance.
Sgt. John Delaney, a police spokesman, said Diaz was arrested at his home Friday after an altercation with his 19-year-old daughter.
Delaney told The Republican newspaper that Diaz was upset that his daughter might join a gang, but did not intend to hurt her. The young woman had some redness on her neck and what appeared to be a small bruise.
Diaz has been placed on inside duty pending an internal investigation by police.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)