LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A former Lincoln police officer has been charged with third-degree assault for allegedly pushing a man last fall while he was still an officer, but while off-duty, authorities said Wednesday.
Officer Benjamin Rieker resigned Jan. 26, according to a police news release. The resignation came days before he was criminally charged on Tuesday.
The charge was brought after investigators deemed Rieker had been working security at a Lincoln hospital Oct. 31 while he was off duty when he had brief contact with a 51-year-old man accused of creating a disturbance in the emergency room, television station KOLN reported. Investigators said Rieker later found the man after he had been discharged from the hospital and shoved the older man unprovoked, causing the man to fall and hit his head.
Police said the man refused medical treatment for the fall. Rieker was placed on leave shortly after the incident while the Lancaster Count Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Rieker had been on the force for about 18 months before he resigned, officials said.
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