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LEEDS - Former Springfield Police detective Steven Vigneault is shown here outside a Leeds medical center in October of 2016.

(Greg Saulmon/The Republican)

SPRINGFIELD -- A whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former Springfield police detective includes allegations of tarnished Officer Gregg Bigda being intoxicated almost daily while carrying out drug raids.

Steven Vigneault argues he resigned under pressure months after an ugly confrontation among Bigda, himself and Bigda's ex-girlfriend -- Officer Gail Gethins -- after Vigneault began dating Gethins last year.

In a complaint filed Tuesday afternoon in Hampden Superior Court, Vigneault argues higher-ups protected Bigda despite his alleged volatility.

"Plaintiff was often told 'you didn't see anything; that never happened. Keep your f---ing mouth shut," by commanding officers regarding Bigda's on-the-job behavior, according to the lawsuit. "At times, plaintiff feared for his own job and safety due to the camaraderie in 'Bigda's' tight-knit group."

Vigneault names the city, Police Commissioner John Barbieri, Bigda, Patrolman's Union President Joseph Gentile, union lawyer Kevin Coyle and the police union in the complaint. It alleges breach of contract and seeks the protection of a whistleblower lawsuit.

Vigneault, 46, was hired in 2013 after an early career at the county jail and while he was a U.S. Army Reservist who served in combat overseas. After returning from a stint in Afghanistan in 2015, Vigneault earned a coveted spot in the department's narcotics unit. But less than a year in, Vigneault became embroiled in a messy arrest of four juveniles in Palmer.

The boys allegedly stole Vigneault's undercover vehicle left idling outside Primos' Pizza on Feb. 26, according to police reports and court records. Vigneault filed a report and later police received news that a pursuit was underway in Wilbraham that eventually spilled into Palmer, where the boys were arrested.

After the arrest, a Wilbraham patrolman made an allegation of excessive force. He alleged a Springfield detective he was unable to identify kicked a boy in the face while he was already in handcuffs and on the ground. Vigneault became the prime suspect, according to police officials. However, he denied the accusation during interviews with The Republican in October.

On a parallel track, surveillance video from Palmer police holding cells showed Bigda threatening two of the boys. The jarring footage included Bigda threatening violence against both boys, threatening to plant drug evidence on one and boasting about his power to spin police reports to his liking.

The footage was made public in the midst of drug prosecutions in the fall, and did little to help Bigda's career. He was suspended for 60 days, and prosecutors have declined to call him as a witness in dozens of drug cases -- which has been a boon to the defense bar and their clients.

Of the night of the Palmer arrest, Vigneault's lawyer, Shawn Allyn, wrote in the complaint:

"Defendant Bigda was actively drinking straight Rum at his desk and appeared to be getting visibly intoxicated," according to the complaint, which noted earlier that Bigda switched from drinking beer on the job to hard liquor to cut calories.

Vigneault also contends Bigda spat on one of the teens at the scene and yelled: "Welcome to the white man's world!"

Bigda's lawyer, Thomas Rooke, declined comment for this story. Other parties named in the lawsuit also declined comment or did not respond to requests.

Vigneault granted The Republican a previous interview while he was receiving treatment for combat-related PTSD at a veterans' treatment center in Leeds.

He argued in the complaint that he went to get food at Primo's to "sober Bigda up" in the event they had to go out into the field. The lawsuit adds that Bigda continued to sip from a rum bottle until they received a call about the stolen car at 2:40 a.m. on Feb. 27.

The complaint continues that Vigneault received a verbal warning for leaving the car running outside the pizza shop and later got a "cold shoulder." He contends commanding officers encouraged all to maintain a "code of silence as to the events of Feb 26 and Feb. 27 and the investigation thereafter to protect Defendant Bigda."

"Plaintiff felt uncomfortable and feared for his own job due to the implicit pressure from Defendant Barbieri's office downward as to the Bigda matter," it adds.

The breaking point for Vigneault's career, he argues, was when Bigda discovered Vigneault was dating an old flame. Bigda "ambushed" Vigneault and fellow Officer Gail Gethins at her home on March 11, armed and intoxicated, the complaint states.

Bigda charged into the house similarly later that night, behaving "aggressively," shouting profanities and threatening to kill them both, according to records. Vigneault states in his complaint Bigda threatened him and Gethins.

Rooke has previously denied Bigda was armed.

Both reported the incident to their own department and East Longmeadow police the next day. Gethins sought and received a restraining order she later dropped. The criminal charges also were dropped when she agreed not to testify if Bigda sought treatment, Vigneault said in previous interviews.

Vigneault argues in his complaint that when he reported the dispute to narcotics Lt. Alberto Ayala, the supervisor "dismissed the seriousness of the allegations" and bought Bigda's version -- that he was carrying a cell phone and not a weapon when he entered Gethins' home uninvited.

In texts and voicemail messages, Bigda disparaged the two and threatened to end Vigneault's career, the complaint states. The Republican previously received copies of the texts and one voicemail message. The audio recording features a heavily slurring Bigda telling Gethins:

"Hey, whore! Nice to meet ya! I'll take care of all of you people ... in the future."

Bigda also threatened to "ruin Vigneault's career" in another message.

The complaint states the two received little to no support within the police department. Vigneault said Ayala ordered him to transfer out of his unit while Bigda was allowed to keep a desk job. It also says Deputy Police Chief Mark Anthony told Vigneault he had "pissed a lot of people off" and instructed Vigneault to take a week off after presenting him with a transfer order.

Vigneault was redeployed to Barnes Air Force Base and began receiving overtures from police union President Joseph Gentile over Barbieri's attempts to schedule a "termination hearing" for Vigneault.

Vigneault contends Gentile held Bigda's interests over the "victims." The plaintiff also asserted Gentile is "close friends" with Bigda and the two attended the police academy together.

According to the lawsuit, Gentile told Barbieri the Wilbraham patrolman was ready to identify Vigneault as the detective who kicked the child in the face in Palmer.

"The plaintiff informed defendant Gentile that this cannot be true. Defendant Gentile said it was true and that Barbieri told Gentile to inform the plaintiff 'resign or be fired,'" the complaint reads.

Vigneault was further threatened with criminal prosecution and loss of his pension if he did not resign, the lawsuit states.

Coyle, the union lawyer, reiterated the message, according to the court filing.

Coyle and Gentile both said Barbieri had vowed to "personally meet" with Wilbraham Patrolman Christopher Rogers to talk about the identification of the detective the day of a scheduled Civilian Police Review Board hearing on Aug. 11.

Wilbraham Police Chief Roger Tucker told The Republican during a previous interview that his patrolman was unable to identify the alleged kicker to this day.

Also, according to the complaint, Coyle remarked to Vigneault: "You must have pissed someone off."

Vigneault argues he was coerced into resigning, caving under the pressure of the union and police supervisors.

The complaint states he has been unable to access certain information because of an ongoing U.S. Justice Dept. investigation into this and other Springfield Police Department matters.

He also claims criminal charges in Palmer District Court have "disappeared," and that he has been stymied by other obstacles. He argues the city and other defendants named in the lawsuit "engaged in retaliatory actions only to protect defendant Bigda and the Springfield Police Department's polices of allowing defendant Bigda to drown himself in alcohol within the station and then go out into the field."

The complaint argues city officials have turned a blind eye to the police department's alleged problems and all the parties have engaged in a "civil conspiracy" to violate Vigneault's rights.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Michael Callan has granted an expedited hearing on the matter scheduled for Feb. 3, according to court records.