Springfield police officer in court for sexual assault charges
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Springfield police officer accused of sexually assaulting a high school student he coached in Somers, Connecticut, is due in court on Friday.
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Justin Perez, 27, is being charged in Connecticut, which means his hearing is in Tolland Superior Court in Rockville. He's scheduled for a plea hearing on Friday.
The Springfield Police Department said that Perez was originally assigned to administrative duties without a firearm pending the investigation. Perez was arrested, and Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence E. Akers suspended him for five days without pay, the maximum allowed under Civil Service Law without a hearing. Perez has been a police officer since June 2022.
Connecticut State Police said that in October 2024, Perez served as an assistant athletic coach at Somers High School and allegedly engaged in inappropriate contact with a juvenile student.
The student disclosed that Perez was allegedly engaging in inappropriate phone and social media contact with her, inappropriate content during practice sessions, and other unwanted sexual advances.
On April 1st, officers located Perez in Enfield and conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle. He was arrested due to his active warrant and turned over to the State Police.
Perez was released on a $100,000 court-set bond. The Board of Police Commissioners and the POST Commission have all been notified. The Springfield Police Internal Investigations Unit and Connecticut investigators have been in contact in connection with the allegations since October.
His hearing is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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