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The Morris County Courthouse in Morristown.

(Robert Sciarrino/ The Star-Ledger)

MORRISTOWN — A former state human services officer at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Parsippany was indicted today on charges that he used excessive force on a patient.

Jamal Hogan, 41, of East Orange, allegedly hit a patient with his police baton and later took steps to hinder the investigation, according to acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp. Hogan was a sergeant at the time of the incident on March 6, 2013, Knapp said.

Hogan was indicted by a Morris County grand jury on charges including official misconduct, aggravated assault, hindering his own apprehension and possession of a weapon.

Hogan has been terminated from his job, said Ellen Lovejoy, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services.

During an appearance in Superior Court in Morristown in September, Hogan turned down a plea offer to a charge of aggravated assault in the incident.

The prosecutor’s office in September offered a sentence that would have involved probation with no jail time but would have required Hogan to forfeit his public employment and his pension.

Former Assistant Prosecutor Robert Weber, who was handling the case at the time, said in September that the patient suffered minor injuries in the incident. Hogan was suspended from his job after his arrest, said Weber, who sent Hogan’s case to the grand jury for an indictment after he turned down the plea offer.

Hogan has been released on his own recognizance, said First Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Zelante.

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