Crime & Safety

Malvern Man Suing Borough Police in Federal Court

John Edler claims to have been mistreated by police in October 2011, according to an article in Main Line Media News.

A Malvern man who was arrested for public drunkenness in the early morning hours of Oct. 2, 2011, has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Malvern Police Department.

John Edler, now 61, said he had called the police department to request a ride home from a local pub, according to a report in Main Line Media News:

Instead, Edler says he was arrested by the first officer and forcefully thrown into the back of a police car and taken to the Coatesville police station. McLaughlin also asserts that Edler was not placed in a seatbelt. [...]

Edler's suit says he sustained injuries in the back of the vehicle due to reckless driving. He later requested the department investigate the incident, but was instead cited for public drunkenness.

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Police told Malvern Patch soon after the arrest that they had responded to a report of a man stumbling down the street, and that Edler became loud and abusive.

Edler fought the public drunkenness charge and was found not guilty on Feb. 27 by Judge Chester Darlington. 

Find out what's happening in Malvernwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Edler's lawsuit against the police department alleges he was mistreated and illegally searched, according to Main Line Media News. The case will be tried before Judge Gene Pratter in Pennsylvania Eastern District Court, according to Justia.

Read the full Main Line Media News article here.


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