Officer Steven Buzzell guilty of theft

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A jury has convicted one Springfield police officer and acquitted another of charges they stole $2,000 during a traffic stop last year.

The Hampden Superior Court jury Wednesday found Officer Steven Buzzell guilty of three counts of larceny over $250.

Officer Leonardo Matos was cleared of those same charges after the jury determined that he was not in a joint venture with Buzzell.

Prosecutors said Buzzell and Matos were partnered on a special detail when the money was stolen from the wallets of three tobacco workers during a traffic stop in June 2008.

"It happened with this police officer, now we can know that there's good cops and bad cops and we can understand that they're doing an investigation to take these cops out of the streets, because there's a lot of violence, and with violence there's police taking advantage of it," said Miguel Aviles of Springfield.

Buzzell's bail was revoked after the verdict and sentencing was set for Thursday.

The former Springfield police officer faces a maximum of five years in state prison on each count.