Hartford police officer accused of sexual assault on Block Island granted bail

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WLNE) — A Connecticut police officer accused of sexual assault on Block Island over the weekend was granted bail on Tuesday.

Justin Damone, 25, was charged with first-degree sexual assault from an incident that happened on Aug. 12 at Ballard’s Beach Club.

Damone, who’s a police officer in Hartford, was allowed to leave Rhode Island and ordered not to have contact the victim.

Steven Filippi, the owner of Ballard’s, said a woman informed their security team about a man who had “inappropriately touched her while on our property.”

“We implemented our robust security measures and our head of security immediately intervened and contacted Block Island Police,” explained Filippi.

The owner said Ballard’s “has zero tolerance for any behavior that could affect the safety or well-being of guests or staff” and will continue to work with state and local police in this investigation.

No further information was immediately released.

The ABC affiliate in Connecticut reported that Hartford police said Damone was off-duty at the time of the incident. He’s been with Harford for four years and has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of this case.

His next court date is set for November.