Dover Police Cpl. Thomas Webster is back on the payroll, but not reporting for duty after a jury acquitted him of a felony assault charge earlier this month.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon, Dover Police Chief Paul Bernat moved Thomas Webster from unpaid administrative leave to paid administrative leave effective Sunday.
He has yet to return to full duty and must undergo a psychiatric evaluation to do so.
Dover Police spokesman Mark Hoffman says the evaluation is “erring on the side of caution” after significant community outcry when the jury rendered a not guilty verdict Dec. 8.
Webster had been videotaped kicking an unarmed black man in the face, breaking his jaw and leaving him unconscious during a 2013 arrest.
In the statement, Bernat says, “…Cpl. Webster’s right to return to his job after having been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing must be honored.”
Hoffman says there’s no timetable for Webster’s return and it’s unknown whether he’ll be behind a desk or back in a patrol car.
