[Archived] Officer Charged with Assault and Battery

For Immediate Release: June 30, 2020

On June 30, 2020, an Alexandria City Police Officer was charged with a criminal offense related to an on-duty use of force. The charge arises from an incident that occurred on January 27, 2020, in which the officer allegedly assaulted and battered a handcuffed citizen.

Jonathan Griffin, age 32, was charged with one count of Assault and Battery. Assault and Battery is a class 1 misdemeanor and carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a fine of $2500.

Any person charged with a criminal offense is presumed to be innocent and the fact a person has been charged with a crime is not evidence of guilt.

No trial date has been set as of the time of this release. Once a trial date is determined, it will be publicly released.

Rule 3.6 of the Virginia State Bar's Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys states, in pertinent part: "A lawyer participating in or associated with the… prosecution … of a criminal matter that may be tried to a jury shall not make or participate in making an extrajudicial statement… that the lawyer knows, or should know, will have a substantial likelihood of interfering with the fairness of a trial by jury." Therefore, the Commonwealth is ethically barred from publicly discussing the evidence, its trial strategy, or its work product prior to the final disposition of the matter in a court of law.