UPDATE — State police issued a press release on the arrest of former Danbury police officer Christopher Belair this afternoon detailing how the investigation into his alleged assault of an undocumented immigrant last year rose from an interdepartmental issue to a criminal case handled by state police investigators.
After Belair berated an undocumented immigrant he suspected of drunk driving during a traffic stop at around 1 a.m. on March 8, the Danbury Police Internal Affairs began an investigation prompted by an audio recording another officer made of the incident, state police said.
During an interview with the victim — who state police identified only as a 35-year-old Danbury resident — the man accused Belair of assaulting him during the incident. Danbury police then notified the Danbury State’s Attorney’s office, which in May requested the state police Central District Major Crime Squad to conduct an investigation.
DANBURY — The former Danbury police officer fired last year after yelling profanities at an undocumented immigrant turned himself in to state police this morning on one count of third-degree assault, his attorney said.
Chris Belair, a five-year veteran of the Danbury Police Department, was fired in June and three other officers were suspended in the wake of a March incident in which Belair yelled at a driver during a traffic stop and allegedly assaulted the man.
Eugene Zingaro, who is representing Belair in the criminal case, said his client surrendered himself at the state police barracks in Bethany this morning. He was released on a written promise to appear in court. He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 10, Zingaro said.
Zingaro said the charge against Belair alleges he “assaulted an individual while on duty.”
“Mr. Belair maintains his innocence as he has throughout this entire process,” Zingaro said. “He believes he was wrongfully terminated by the city. He believes his arrest is unjust and looks forward to his day in court.”
Since his termination, Belair has not been able to find employment in law enforcement or elsewhere, Zingaro said.
“My understanding is his termination from the city has severely hampered his ability to work as a police officer, which is his chosen occupation,” Zingaro said. “In fact I believe he is currently unemployed as his termination has severely hampered his ability to work at all.”