Republic man alleging brutality sues township, state police By Jennifer Harr
A Republic man with a lengthy criminal record sued Redstone Township, Luzerne Township and state police on Thursday, claiming that he was assaulted and shot at because of his race. James S. Thompson, 54, indicated in the federal court filing that he and Rae Lynn Sigwalt were pulled over by Redstone Township police Officer Norman Howard on March 9, 2008. Thompson claimed Howard pulled them over because he does not like black and white people being together.
Thompson is black and Sigwalt is white.
During the traffic stop, Thompson indicated that Howard discovered Sigwalt had a warrant out for her arrest. When he checked on Thompson, he found nothing, the suit indicated.
Thompson claimed that Luzerne Township police Chief Roy Mehalik indicated over the radio that Thompson was “dangerous,” prompting Howard to handcuff him and search him, the suit indicated. Thompson claimed Howard used a Taser on him, and beat him with a baton for “several minutes” before he fled from police.
As he fled, Thompson indicated police shot at his car and an “unseen force” kept him from getting hit by bullets.
Thompson said that state police Trooper Thomas Broadwater released information that he shot at police and was at large.
State police “knew or should have known that such a false report to all police in the area would make your plaintiff a target for all police to gun down on sight since it was believed from the report” that Thompson shot at police, the suit claimed.
Thompson was eventually caught and charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest and criminal mischief. Earlier this month, a judge dismissed the resisting arrest charge because there was not enough evidence to sustain the charge. The suit claimed Thompson has been in “extreme emotional and psychological pain” since the alleged incident and now has a “permanent fear of police.”
In addition to their departments, Mehalik, Howard and Broadwater were specifically named in the suit.
The filing also named the state Attorney General’s office and the Fayette and Greene county prisons.