Subpoena Issued in Contentious Excessive Force Case Against Former Paterson Officer

PATERSON, NJ – A legal dispute in a long-running excessive force case has taken a dramatic turn with the issuance of a subpoena targeting a high-ranking passaic County prosecutor. The subpoena,filed by the attorney representing Spencer Finch,a former Paterson police officer,centers on missing investigative notes from the original investigation.

Finch has been twice indicted and once acquitted in connection with allegations of excessive force. While he was previously acquitted on some charges, a criminal case remains pending. The core of the current legal challenge revolves around notes taken by detectives within the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office during the initial investigation into the alleged incident. Finch’s legal team argues that these notes are crucial to his defense and their absence raises serious questions.

The subpoena seeks to compel the prosecutor to provide a detailed accounting of the missing notes – including when and why they were not retained – and to determine if their disappearance could impact the fairness of the ongoing proceedings. The move is considered highly unusual, signaling a significant escalation in the legal battle between Finch and the prosecution.

Details regarding the specific nature of the excessive force allegations and the original incident remain limited, but the case has drawn local attention due to its protracted legal history and the involvement of a former law enforcement officer. The outcome of this subpoena and the subsequent proceedings could have substantial implications for the pending criminal case against Finch.