Crime & Safety

Westerly Police Officers Cleared in Death of Mystic Man

A Rhode Island Grand Jury finds no reason for indictments in O'Loughlin case.

There will be no indictments in the death of Ryan O’Loughlin.

According to The Westerly Sun, a Rhode Island Grand Jury “…found no reason to indict any of the three Westerly Police officers involved in the arrest of Ryan O’Loughlin of Mystic in downtown Westerly last summer.”

The R.I. state Attorney General’s Office released the following statement to The Westerly Sun:

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"Consistent with the practice in cases of this kind, the Office of Attorney General brought the matter before a Grand Jury to promote integrity in the process and trust in the outcome," the press release said. "It is the responsibility of the Grand Jury to determine the facts, apply the law to those facts and to decide whether anyone may be charged with criminal wrongdoing."

The on Jan. 9, 2012 to hear the case of the following an arrest in 2011 by Westerly Police.

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On June 9, 2011, outside a downtown Westerly wine and coffee bar, O’Loughlin, 34, became involved in an incident with police who were attempting to arrest another man for allegedly vandalizing a bathroom in the bar. He was pepper sprayed and struggled with police who used force to subdue him.

After spending the night in a Westerly Police jail cell, and appearing in court the following day, O’Loughlin died at the Pequot Health Center in Groton.


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