Rensselaer

Two city of Rensselaer police officers were suspended without pay Monday because they failed to disclose to their superior officers an investigation by the Troy Police Department into their alleged roles in the killing of a woodchuck on a golf outing in July.

"They failed to report it. So they're being given a 30-day suspension without pay," said Mayor Dan Dwyer.

The mayor chairs the five-member Board of Public Safety, which suspended Officers Tyler Sammon and Mark Spath.

The two officers had been on paid administrative leave since city officials learned about their alleged responsibility for the killing of the woodchuck during a Rensselaer Police Benevolent Association golf outing July 29 at Frear Park Golf Course in Troy.

Sammon and Spath earn $55,584 and $78,128, respectively, according to the most recent 2016 report by the Empire Center's See Through NY payroll site.

They had faced the possibility of being fired, subject to the outcome of the investigation. That punishment was ruled out after Troy police, who consulted with Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove's office, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation determined there was not enough evidence for prosecution.

Sammon and Spath were accused of using a golf cart at the Troy golf course to chase a woodchuck around until it was exhausted, and then ran over the animal, according to police reports.

The Board of Public Safety convened a special meeting on the matter Monday morning.

Rensselaer Police Chief Rick Fusco, who brought along a stack of police department records, apologized for the fact that the case had to come before the board.

After his remarks, the board went into executive session and spent about 90 minutes discussing the personnel case behind closed doors with the city's labor attorney, David Garvey.

kcrowe@timesunion.com • 518-454-5084 • @KennethCrowe