The Illinois cop who broke a jailed woman’s face while throwing her into a cell has pleaded guilty to official misconduct. Cassandra Feuerstein had a bloodshot eye from a ruptured socket, bruised cheeks and loose teeth after former Skokie police officer Michael Hart shoved the woman into a cement bench after a 2013 arrest.
The ex-cop apologized to Feuerstein from a written note in Leighton Criminal Court Building and said he had been frustrated because she would not look into the camera for a mug shot. Feuerstein had been arrested in March after officers found her passed out behind the wheel of her car, parked on the side of the road.
She later pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence.
“I did not intend to or want to harm you in any way,” Hart said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I acted in frustration and not out of anger or meanness … I’m sorry for the injuries I caused you. I hope you can accept my heartfelt apology.” Hart opted to resign because the Skokie Police Department planned to fire him, the Tribune reported. Surveillance footage shows Feuerstein collapsed on the floor of the jail cell before officers attempted to lift her from the pool of blood on the floor. Hart will lose his pension as a result of pleading guilty. He is also sentenced to two years of probation. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/illinois-pleads-guilty-battering-drunk-driver-face-article‑1.2010246