A Springfield police officer has resumed patrol duties after prosecutors declined to file assault charges against him in connection with an April incident that left a man with injured ribs.

Ryan Stone was on administrative leave for eight months while police investigators and prosecutors reviewed his conduct. He returned to duty this week, Springfield city spokesperson Amber Fossen said Friday.

In response to a public records request, the Linn County District Attorney’s Office released to The Register-Guard a video recording of the April 7 incident, captured on Stone’s dashboard camera after he stopped a pedestrian for a minor traffic violation and then forcefully arrested the man. The recording was among the materials reviewed before prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge Stone with a crime.

Prosecutor Richard Wijers announced Dec. 12 that authorities determined they didn’t have enough evidence to prove Stone “acted with a criminally culpable mental state” when he threw a man to the ground after stopping him for crossing a street against a red light. Prosecutors also believed they couldn’t prove that Stone’s actions had caused the man — who suffered a rib injury that was not confirmed to involve any broken bones — a “physical injury” as the term is defined under state law, Wijers said.

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