Bethel Park Man Sues Peters Township, Police
Officer
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal
hearings into the police problem in America.
Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a
permanent DOJ office on Police
Misconduct.
Bethel Park man this week has filed federal suit against Peters Township and
one of its police officers, alleging police misconduct.
According
to federal court records, Steven Stiegel, who filed the suit Tuesday, said he
was fox hunting with a friend, Nolan Majcher, on Jan. 30 on a piece of private
property in North Strabane.
“The
road where they parked is a dead end, several hundred yards away from any
houses. Nolan Majcher was situated about 30 yards from his truck, scanning the
woods, wearing hunting camouflage with his gun clearly visible,” court
documents show.
Then,
at about 11 p.m., they observed headlights coming down the road.
“The
car was driven by Peters Township police Officer Matthew Russell Collins.
Officer Collins did not identify himself as a police officer, but Nolan Majcher
suspected that he might be associated with law enforcement because of his use
of a spotlight.”
Majcher
walked toward the car, his arms reportedly extended, “with his gun held in a
vertical non-threatening position.”
That’s
when a confrontation between the two men occurred, according to the records.
“Officer
Collins then aggressively yelled, ‘Drop the weapon!’ and still did not identify
himself as a police officer,” court records show.
The
suit said Majcher complied with the officer’s request immediately, when the
Collins again spoke up.
“’What
the (expletive deleted) are you doing?’” court documents indicate the officer
said.
That’s
when—weaponless—Majcher reportedly held “both hands at shoulder height in order
to signal his prone position.“
The
man reportedly walked toward the car and office Collins so he “would no longer
have to shout.”
That’s
when court records show Collins again responded.
“Officer
Collins yelled, again very aggressively, ‘Stay where you are or I’ll shoot
you!’” the suit alleges.
That’s
when Majcher explained that he and Stiegel were hunting, and that his friend
was in the woods to the right of the officer.
“Officer
Collins responded belligerently and inappropriately” as Majcher made his way to
the officer’s vehicle, according to court records—with Collins training his gun
on the man.
Stiegel
walked out of the woods a little later, dropping his rifle.
But
according to the suit, Collins “aggressively questioned and retained them,
acted arrogantly and obnoxiously, and then left without issuing any sort of
citation—because no laws were broken,” the suit indicates.
While
the suit maintains that Steigel and Majcher were acting in accordance to the
law, it claims Collins “was outside of the rubrics of the law. He illegally
wielded a weapon against citizens and only their superior common sense
prevented a catastrophe.”
The
suit also alleges that Collins was in North Strabane at the time, which was out
of his jurisdiction.
Stiegel
said the incident caused him “physical manifestations and injury—and he had
made a complaint to the Peters Township Police Department.
In
a letter dated Feb. 29, Peters police Chief Harry Fruecht wrote to Stiegel:
"The
investigation established that the conduct of the concerned employee was not
contrary to department policy but disclosed training issues that will be
addressed department wide.
"Please
be assured that we desire to provide the best possible police service and are
appreciative when given the opportunity to clarify such matters.
"Thank
you for bringing this matter to our attention. If you desire further
information in regard to the investigation or disposition, please contact my
office."
