Felony hit-and-run charges against fired Manchester police sergeant Stephen Coco have been reduced to misdemeanors, charges that would allow the 17-year police veteran to avoid a state prison sentence in the high-profile case. Last Thursday, the special prosecutor in the case filed Class A misdemeanor charges of vehicular assault against Coco, claiming he was fiddling with a cell phone last March when he hit two Bedford teenagers outside their Harrod Lane homes.
Last Thursday, the special prosecutor in the case filed Class A misdemeanor charges of vehicular assault against Coco, claiming he was fiddling with a cell phone last March when he hit two Bedford teenagers outside their Harrod Lane homes.
He was driving an unmarked Manchester police vehicle at the time. When arrested in late March, Coco faced two Class B felony conduct after an accident, each of which carries a 3 1/2 to seven-year prison sentence.
Marc Hathaway, the Sullivan County Attorney called in to prosecute the case, had faced a deadline of Monday to obtain a grand jury indictment. Hathaway said Monday that Coco has not been indicted. The misdemeanor charges are "part of a prosecution strategy. It would be unprofessional for me to say anything more at this time," Hathaway said.