State Police Trooper Pleads No Contest in Assault Case

A Michigan State Police trooper has pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors for punching a handcuffed man in the head.

On March 28, 2022, Trooper Bram Schroeder and another trooper pulled over Vance Martin of Saginaw for speeding and running two stop signs. The troopers say they also believed Martin was intoxicated, whereupon the placed him in handcuffs. Martin resisted being placed into the patrol vehicle. Cell phone and police body camera video show Schroeder punching Martin in the head at least twice during the encounter.

Schroeder pleaded to aggravated assault and willful neglect of duty in exchange for the dismissal of a felony charge of misconduct in office. While Schroeder will not face any jail time, he has voluntarily relinquished his Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards certification, which means he will likely never serve as a police officer in the state of Michigan again. He is also facing a civil suit filed by Martin.