Old Lyme — Officer Sal Milardo’s impending five-day suspension will be the second unpaid suspension he’s undergone this year if it holds up, according to First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder.

Milardo, a 15-year veteran of the department, is facing the five-day suspension in response to allegations he urged a resident to file a false complaint against the town’s resident state trooper, Trooper First Class Gary Inglis.

According to Reemsnyder, a state police investigation into the incident found that Milardo had used his position as a member of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for some purpose "other than the furtherance of the mission of the agency."

A less-intensive town investigation revealed the same results, Reemsnyder said.

"Many investigations involve he said, she said situations," she said. "It boils down to consistency and credibility."

Reemsnyder said she, working with the town’s attorney, chose a five-day unpaid suspension for Milardo based on multiple factors, including recommendations state police gave when they presented the town with their findings.

She said any discipline beyond a five-day suspension would have to be upheld by a full Board of Selectmen hearing that would include the calling in and questioning of witnesses.

“It’s a rigorous process — as it should be, because we’re talking about someone’s job,” she said.

“The decision was made based on the evidence that a five-day suspension was the appropriate next step,” Reemsnyder continued. “Progressive discipline is how many people deal with issues in departments.”

New London County State’s Attorney Michael L. Regan said his office hadn’t received any correspondence regarding Milardo’s upcoming suspension, yet. As such, he said he wouldn’t comment on Milardo's case.

In general, Regan said there are cases where an officer’s disciplinary offense calls into question his or her veracity, though many offenses do not fall under that category.

With those that do — such as an officer lying under oath — Regan’s office is required by a Supreme Court ruling to inform the defense of the officer’s past misconduct.

Reemsnyder noted that this is Milardo’s second offense in his 15-year career with the Old Lyme Police Department.

Earlier this year, Milardo was suspended for one day without pay in relation to a July 13, 2015, incident in which an Old Lyme man allegedly ran after and pushed a 14-year-old boy into the water at Rogers Lake while yelling obscenities at him.

According to Reemsnyder and to a state police arrest warrant affidavit, Milardo interviewed several people on scene but never filed a report or took any other action.

According to the affidavit, Trooper Dean Griffin of Troop F in Westbrook was assigned to the case in January because "it was believed it was not originally investigated properly."

“There was no report filed and there should’ve been,” Reemsnyder said. “When you’re talking about minors ... police are supposed to protect them."

Milardo had to undergo retraining in addition to the one-day suspension earlier this year, Reemsnyder said.

Reemsnyder said the most recent investigation into Milardo began when the involved resident reported the incident to state police recently.

The resident told police Milardo had stopped by his house in October 2015 and, at some point, had tried to convince him to file a complaint against Inglis.

According to Reemsnyder, Milardo allegedly tried to get the resident to say Inglis’ behavior was beyond what it should have been while Inglis was issuing the resident an unspecified ticket.

Reemsnyder said the resident told state police he refused to file the complaint because it wasn’t true.

At that point, Milardo allegedly tried to convince the resident that he owed Milardo a favor and that things could get ugly if he didn’t comply, Reemsnyder said. According to the resident, Milardo had helped the resident with a state Department of Children and Families case in the past.

Reemsnyder said Milardo has since told town officials and state police that he went to the resident’s home back in October because the resident happened to be present at the Rogers Lake incident. Milardo said he was double-checking with the resident to make sure he didn’t have any more to say about the incident, Reemsnyder said.

Upon receiving notification of his impending suspension, Milardo filed a grievance contesting it. Reemsnyder said she denied it because it didn’t introduce any new information about the issue.

Reemsnyder said Milardo has a limited amount of time during which he can grieve her denial, which would prompt a full Board of Selectmen review. He hadn’t done so as of noon Thursday.

l.boyle@theday.com