An Albuquerque police officer accused of kneeing a law student in the groin and deleting a cellphone video has pleaded not guilty to charges in New Mexico's Second District Court.
Pablo Padilla appeared Monday during a brief arraignment hearing on charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and tampering with evidence. He was released on his own recognizance.
An attorney for University of New Mexico law school student Jeremy Martin says his client was forced to undergo emergency surgery to remove a testicle after Padilla kneed him during an April 2014 traffic stop.
Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden later gave Padilla a 240-hour suspension.
The 39-year-old officer is currently on administrative leave.
Padilla's attorney, Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.
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