SPRINGFIELD — A former corrections officer with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office was granted probation and an order to enroll in an abuse training program after he allegedly pepper-sprayed nine people at a bar in August 2023, damaging their clothing and leaving them clinging to their faces.

Christopher Walker, 62, who is charged with nine counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, pleaded guilty to sufficient evidence at a hearing before Hampden District Court Judge Robert Santaniello on Nov. 5. The court continued the case without making a finding until 2026. Admission of sufficient evidence and successful completion of probation ensures a clean criminal record.

This development in Walker’s case caused at least one of the pepper spray victims to become frustrated and say Walker did not respond to his actions.

Walker’s attorney, Terrence Dunphy, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for prosecutors at the Hampden District Attorney’s Office also did not.

The incident unfolded on Aug. 3, 2023, at approximately 9:12 p.m., when two Springfield police officers responded to Nathan Bill’s Bar and Restaurant at 110 Island Pond Road for a disturbance report.

“Upon arrival, we observed a group of approximately ten individuals on the outside porch who appeared to be in distress,” the police report filed in court states. “They were pouring milk on towels and trying to wipe their faces.”

Officers said one of their party members was Walker’s ex-girlfriend. The police report says the relationship lasted about two years before it ended in February 2022, after which he sent her unsolicited emails and text messages.

He told police he was afraid of Walker because he was a corrections officer and had access to firearms.

The woman noticed him at the bar that evening, the report said. She later told police that the man was walking with his arms raised as if he were going to take a photo but holding pepper spray.

Video footage of the incident reviewed by officers showed “Mr. Walker talking to members of the group, while his new girlfriend showed the middle finger to (Walker’s ex-girlfriend’s) group in the porch corner. Mr. Walker is then seen pulling what appears to be an OC canister (pepper spray) from his pocket, begins waving it, walks to the corner of the porch, and sprays it at the group.

Walker then left the bar. Later that evening, he turned himself in to Springfield Police Department headquarters and officers issued him a restraining order.

One of those hit by the spray, who asked not to be identified, said the group consisted largely of emergency room nurses from a local hospital.

“It was very fast. … Nobody knew what would happen next,” the victim said.

Before the hearing on Election Day, both sides were preparing for the two-day hearing. The spray victim said the announcement that Walker received probation was “mind-boggling” because it did not leave Walker facing serious liability.

Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi – who he is on parole He wrote a character letter on Walker’s behalf after admitting enough facts about drunk driving.

Reached for comment, sheriff’s spokesman Rob Rizzuto said Walker retired from the Sheriff’s Office in 2020 as majorand about a year later he began doing some work in the office that reviewed inmates’ disciplinary proceedings. Walker resigned shortly after the incident.

“During Mr. Walker’s long tenure with the Sheriff’s Office, he was considered an excellent employee, as evidenced by the rank he attained upon retirement,” Rizzuto said in a statement. “Sheriff Cocchi’s character letter references that period and Mr. Walker’s contributions to the community.”

Walker allegedly violated a harassment restraining order by calling his ex-girlfriend on Oct. 12, before being placed on parole on Nov. 5, according to documents filed in Hampden District Court. He didn’t pick up the phone, but called police in West Springfield later that day and said he recognized Walker’s number.

“He stated that he had an unhealthy obsession with OJ Simpson, who was charged with murdering his wife,” West Springfield police wrote in their report. “He sent her photos of black gloves and even flowers signed ‘Orenthal,’ which is Mr. Simpson’s first name.”

Assistant District Attorney Deborah Roberge filed a motion to revoke Walker’s bail. A judge denied the request on October 18.

Earlier in the case, the court reduced Walker’s bail from $1,000 to his personal discretion, ordering him to stay away from the victims in the pepper spray incident.

Walker’s attorney, Dunphy, argued that the 31-year former corrections officer is retired, owns his own home, has three children living nearby and has no criminal record.

A hearing is scheduled for December to determine compensation.