HYDE PARK, Vt. (AP) – A former Vermont State Police trooper pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he assaulted a teenager after responding to a call about a car being taken without permission.

John F. Plaster, 34, formerly of Cambridge, is charged with aggravated assault and simple assault for the Nov. 18 incident. He declined comment after his arraignment, as did his lawyer, Tim Clark of Norwich. Plaster was released on $10,000 bond.

Plaster is accused of assaulting the teenager after being called to the Eden home of Lauris Slutz, who reported that her son, 18-year-old Brian Slutz, had taken her car.

Slutz had returned the car by the time Plaster arrived at the home, but became verbally abusive and refused to comply with Plaster’s demand that he put out a cigarette and put a lighter down, according to a police affidavit.

Plaster twice knocked Slutz to the floor – once while he was in handcuffs – and put him in a choke hold until he was unresponsive, according to the affidavit filed by Detective Lt. Kraig E. LaPorte of the Vermont State Police. He also choked Slutz while he was on his feet and later pushed him into a concrete wall, the affidavit said.

Plaster and Vermont State Police Trooper Julie Hammond, who also responded to the scene, both were wearing body microphones during the incident.

Hammond said she told Plaster to stop choking Slutz after he stopped resisting, because his right arm was “pretty limp” and she thought he was going to pass out, the affidavit said.

After handcuffing him, Plaster took Slutz to the floor a second time and again put him in choke hold. Slutz was not responsive, and was moaning, the affidavit said.

After Hammond helped the teen to his feet, Slutz resumed swearing at Plaster and Plaster grabbed him by the throat, choking him, until Hammond pulled them apart, the affidavit said.

Hammond told Plaster she was uncomfortable with him choking the suspect, but Plaster told her he could justify it, saying he could only get a hold of Slutz’s neck, and “gets mixed up with his martial arts,” the affidavit said.

Later, at the Vermont State Police office in Morristown, Plaster shoved Slutz into a wall, where he hit his head, and also threatened him, the affidavit said.

Morristown Police Officer Garth Christensen, who was holding Slutz’s left hand, said Plaster’s actions were unwarranted.

In explaining his use of force, Plaster said at one point Slutz kicked at the troopers, and threw his body at him, but Plaster did not report that he used a choke hold on him or grabbed his throat.

Plaster, who was cited after an internal police investigation prompted by a trooper’s report, was ordered Monday to have no contact with Slutz and his mother and to stay away from their home.

Slutz was initially charged with resisting arrest and operating a motor vehicle without consent, but the resisting charge was dropped under a plea agreement in which he pleaded no contest.

Slutz said Monday he was pleased that police investigated the case and said he was interviewed by police internal affairs in mid-December. He said he didn’t know Plaster before the incident and thought his conduct was inappropriate. “He’s a police officer, so who was I going to tell? The cops.”

The head of the state police said he was disturbed by Plaster’s alleged behavior and that a member of the public would be reluctant to complain about police conduct.

“The citizens of Vermont need to know there are systems in place to prevent and detect this behavior,” Col. James Baker, commander of the state police said at a Waterbury news conference.

Plaster served in the Williston barracks from 2005 until he resigned from the force two months ago. He no longer lives in Vermont.

Lamoille County State’s Attorney Joel Page has been reviewing pending cases involving Plaster, following his resignation, the investigation and questions about his credibility, Page said Friday.

Roughly two cases in which Plaster was an exclusive witness have been dismissed, two others have been resolved and two are pending, according to Page, who didn’t immediately return a telephone call Monday.

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