On August 6, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that former Mount Vernon Police Officer James Ready pled guilty to falsifying records and reckless assault on Thursday after using excessive force to restrain a defendant in his custody, which was caught on surveillance, and lying about the incident in an effort to cover up the assault.
Ready, of Putnam Valley, pled guilty on August 5 to Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, a Class E Felony, and Reckless Assault in the Third Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor.
“James Ready took an oath to protect and serve the people of Westchester County. His actions not only violated the law, but they violated that oath,” DA Rocah said. “Westchester County is fortunate to have dedicated police officers who work hard to keep the community safe, and we will work together with them to ensure that officers like Ready who harm people in their care and lie about their actions are held accountable.”
On November 23, 2019, Ready, who was a probationary Mount Vernon Police Officer, was in charge of guarding Tyquan Brown, who was in police custody and had been taken to Montefiore-Mount Vernon Hospital Emergency Room to seek medical attention.
Around 1:30 a.m., Ready was preparing to return Brown, who was handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, to MVPD headquarters. While attempting to restrain an unruly Brown, Ready used excessive force in slamming Brown to the floor causing his body and head to strike the floor, resulting in physical injury. The incident was captured on hospital surveillance video.
When questioned about how Brown received his injuries, Ready lied and created a false report about the incident. He resigned from the department soon thereafter.
According to his plea agreement, Ready will receive interim probation for one year. Upon successful completion of that probation, including compliance with all probationary conditions and no new arrests, the felony charge will be vacated and Ready will be sentenced to an additional two years of probation for the remaining misdemeanor assault charge. If unsuccessful, Ready will be sentenced to a term of felony probation, of up to five years.
The case is pending Judge Barry Warhit in Westchester County Court and is being prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Jennifer Sculco.
