East Haven Police Officer Jason Zullo pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Oct. 23) to one count of obstruction related to his filing of a false police report to prevent an investigation of excessive force.

The report involves an incident on Oct. 18, 2008, during which Zullo struck a motorcycle and its two riders with his police car during a chase. On Oct. 22, Zullo failed to include information about the collision in his police report. Zullo said he did not collide with the motorcycle intentionally.

“During a chase, this defendant repeatedly struck a motorcycle with his police cruiser, causing the motorcycle to crash,” said David B. Fein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. “He then tried to cover up his conduct and prevent an excessive force investigation by filing a false police report of the incident. This kind of deceitful police work cannot be tolerated, as it decays the public trust in all law enforcement officers.”

Zullo will be sentenced on Jan. 18, 2013 and he could receive a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.