Green Bay police officer will resign after pleading no contest to hitting a man with his squad car

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin officer will resign at the end of this year after pleading no contest to striking a man with his squad car in 2021.

The Green Bay Police Department announced Thursday that its internal investigation into Officer Matthew Knutson was complete, and Knutson told Chief Chris Davis during a meeting that he would quit on Dec. 31, WLUK-TV reported.

Knutson was charged this past April with felony misconduct and misdemeanor negligent operation of a vehicle. He had been placed on paid administrative leave in October 2022. He pleaded no contest this past Oct. 30 to the misconduct charge; prosecutors dropped the negligent operation of a vehicle count in exchange.

Brown County Circuit Judge Donald Zuidmulder fined Knutson $500, WLUK-TV reported.

Video shows Knutson strike the man with his squad car as the man fled from a traffic stop. Knutson argued he was traveling less than 5 mph (8 kph) and the man ran directly in front of his squad car. But prosecutors countered that video evidence doesn’t show the man running directly in front of the car.

Police said they didn’t learn the man was hit until October 2022 and Knutson didn’t include the collision in his initial report, WLUK-TV reported.