Ex-hero officer acquitted of aggravated assault

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former Philadelphia police officer honored by the White House before being accused of criminal offenses has been acquitted of aggravated assault on a longtime girlfriend.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a Common Pleas Court jury on Monday also acquitted 28-year-old Richard DeCoatsworth of recklessly endangering another person but convicted him of simple assault.

Prosecutors had earlier also accused DeCoatsworth of having raped two prostitutes at gunpoint but dropped those charges in September.

DeCoatsworth was honored after being shot in the face pursuing a suspect during his rookie year, but complaints mounted about his use of force after he returned to work.