Vernon police launch probe into officer terminated as youth hockey coach after pulling player to ice

Jan. 6—VERNON — Local police have launched an internal investigation into a member of their department who has been terminated as a youth hockey coach after pulling an opposing player to the ice in the waning moments of a game last weekend in an incident that was captured on video.

Vernon Police Chief John Kelley said Thursday that Officer Corey Sutherland, who was an assistant coach with the South Windsor Knights, had notified him about being involved in the off-duty incident.

"An investigation into Officer Sutherland's conduct has been initiated by the Vernon Police Department," Kelley wrote in the statement released Thursday to Hearst Connecticut Media Group.

Sutherland could not be reached for comment.

Sutherland, a former trooper with the Connecticut State Police, has been with the Vernon department since Dec. 28, 2020. He is assigned to the patrol division, Kelley said, but he did not indicate whether Sutherland is on active duty while the investigation is conducted.

Sutherland has not been the subject of any prior investigations or discipline, Kelley said.

Police in Hooksett, N.H., where the incident occurred during a tournament last Saturday, said they have not received a complaint and are not conducting a criminal investigation.

The incident occurred in the last five seconds of South Windsor's 6-0 loss to a youth hockey team based in Massachusetts. Video from the game appears to show Sutherland reaching out from the bench and grabbing an opposing player by the back of his jersey, sending the boy crashing onto the ice. The 14-year-old player was not injured.

Tama Parsons, the winning team's head coach, posted a video clip of the incident on Facebook, drawing close to 200 comments by Thursday afternoon, mostly from people decrying the act. The post was shared nearly 300 times.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, the boy's mother, Tina Ackerman, said, "I've never seen such poor sportsmanship."

Sutherland was walked out of the arena, Parsons said. The South Windsor team and its supporters apologized for the incident, she said.

"The other team was very apologetic," Parsons said. She said her team did not behave in a way that would instigate such an incident. It also remained unknown why Ackerman's son was specifically targeted.

The South Windsor Youth Hockey Association said it was "offended by this type of action" and terminated the assistant coach, according to a statement from President Gabe Hathorn.

Hathorn, who did not identify the assistant coach, said the person is "forbidden from coaching in any and all South Windsor Youth Hockey Association events."

The association's governing body, the Connecticut Hockey Conference, will determine if further discipline is necessary, President Chuck Wilkerson said.

Sutherland, a Rockville High School graduate, retired from the state police after 20 years as a trooper, Vernon police said on Facebook when they hired him.

Christine Dempsey may be reached at Christine.Dempsey@hearstmediact.com.

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