PROVIDENCE -- A Superior Court jury Friday found Barrington police Sgt. Joseph Andreozzi guilty of obstructing justice after allegedly cyber-harassing his former wife.
Andreozzi said in court Thursday that when he deleted the text messages from his state police-seized phone he assumed -- but had not been told -- they had the evidence from his ex-wife's phone.
Andreozzi's nearly 16 years as a Barrington officer factored in opposing lawyers' questions over whether his actions last Aug. 30, following his arrest for messages sent the day before to his former wife, Christine, were based in part on what he knew from law enforcement experience.
Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin said in a statement following the verdict, "As a police officer, sworn to uphold the law at all times, the defendant has a moral, ethical and legal obligation to conduct himself with the highest standard of integrity, which he clearly failed to do. Moreover, it is abhorrent that the defendant would obstruct his fellow officers from doing their jobs in conducting this investigation."
An earlier version of this story was published at 2:14 p.m.