DANVILLE – A Danville police officer is back on paid administrative leave, after being charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly pulling his weapon on a citizen in March.

Tony W. Piatt, 39, of Hillery was charged Thursday with one count of aggravated assault, a Class A misdemeanor.

Prosecutors said Piatt "without lawful authority and using a deadly weapon, knowingly engaged in conduct which placed (a man) in reasonable apprehension of receiving bodily harm."

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Vermilion County Circuit Court at 1 p.m. April 24. If convicted, he faces up to one year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

The charge stems from an incident on March 8 in Danville. Danville Public Safety Director Larry Thomason hasn't released any details except that it involved an off-duty officer. "He allegedly displayed his weapon to an individual," Thomason said, adding no one was injured.

At that time, the officer was placed on paid administrative leave and the police's internal affairs department started a review, Thomason said. He said the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department launched a criminal investigation, then turned its findings over to the state's attorney's office.

Thomason said the officer was placed back on duty as a patrol officer about two weeks after the incident. "Initially, the state's attorney's office was not filing charges," he said.

At that time, Vermilion County State's Attorney Frank Young said, all of the reports were not in yet. "I'm not going to move until I get all of the reports."

Thomason said the officer was placed back on paid administrative leave late this week. "That remains in effect until a city disciplinary is completed," he said, adding that a hearing has not been set yet.

Mayor Scott Eisenhauer and City Attorney Dave Wesner will decide whether to clear the officer of any wrongdoing or impose sanctions. Sanctions could be anything from days off without pay up to termination.