By Steve Mocarsky
Kingston police officer John
Sosnoski is seated on an ATV in this photo from a post on his Facebook page. He
and officer Jonathan Karasinski have been suspended without pay after being
charged with drunk driving following an ATV crash in September.
KINGSTON — Two Kingston police
officers charged with drunk driving after they crashed ATVs while off-duty in
September have been suspended.
Officers John Sosnoski and
Jonathan Karasinski were suspended without pay for 50 days, Mayor James
Haggerty said Wednesday in a news release.
The suspensions were effective
immediately and will be in place until approximately Feb. 10, Haggerty said.
“This has been a difficult time
for our police department and our community,” Haggerty said. “There can be no
doubt that these officers engaged in reckless and irresponsible conduct that
brought great discredit to themselves and to the Kingston Police Department.
The punishment we have levied today is a serious punishment which fits the
transgressions committed by these officers.”
Pennsylvania State Police
allege Sosnoski and Karasinski were driving ATVs on Zerby Avenue near High
Street at about 1:20 a.m. on Sept. 29 in Edwardsville.
According to reports, for an
unknown reason, Karasinski flipped over the all-terrain vehicle he was
operating — a 2014 Polaris Sportsman — and Sosnoski , driving a 2013 Polaris
Sportsman, swerved to avoid hitting Karasinski and then struck a tree, state
police said.
Sosnoski , 24, of Ashley, was
charged in October with two counts of driving under the influence and summary
counts of speeding and operation of ATV on streets. Karasinski, 35, of Exeter,
was charged with the same offenses in November.
Both cases have been
transferred to Luzerne County Court, with formal arraignment set for 10 a.m.
Jan. 9, according to court documents.
Haggerty said that the officers
had no prior record of misconduct or disciplinary actions with the department.
“These are two outstanding
young police officers who have served our community with dedication and valor,”
Haggerty said. “While we recognize the seriousness of their offenses, we
believe that they are genuinely remorseful, have learned important lessons from
this incident, and have earned an opportunity for redemption of both their
reputations and careers.”