District Justice tells out-of-control police chief at hearing to "Suck it up, cupcake"

[JPZenger]

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nazareth-stickers-arrests-hearing-police-20140813,0,5201337.story

This story involves an out of control police chief of the Borough of Nazareth, who has been persecuting ordinary citizens for the most innane minor accusations. A group of three men allegedly placed tiny stickers around the town that said "FT" for Fire Trachta. The Chief put them in handcuffs and made them do a perp walk in front of news cameramen.

"In a slap to police Chief Thomas Trachta, a district judge Wednesday threw out criminal mischief charges against three men accused of plastering stickers around the borough calling for Trachta's firing, and found them not guilty of harassment, disorderly conduct and littering. District Judge Jacqueline Taschner said. "Trachta is a public official. He needs to suck it up, cupcake."

Defense attorneys argued at the preliminary hearing that borough residents Trevor Gehret, Daniel Logothetis and Jeremy Peters were charged only because they bruised Trachta's ego. "This is a political case, pure and simple," attorney Gary Asteak said. "It's a political prosecution."

At the time of the sticker postings, Trachta's department had faced its share of controversy, with officer terminations and subsequent lawsuits, rumors of disbandment to join a possible regional department, and Trachta's public feud with borough officials over the cost of cable for a television at headquarters.

Officer Troxell admitted that the police department contacted the U.S. attorney general's office to recommend that the federal government prosecute the three men for defacing mailboxes."

Here's a more colorful description from a local blogger:

http://lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com/2014/08/judge-tells-naz-police-chief-suck-it-up.html

"In addition to having (the witness to a sticker) prepare an unclear written statement in which no one could be certain who admitted to what, Officer Troxell also placed her under subpoena. He also subpoenaed and drove an elderly lady to Judge Taschner's courtroom. She had apparently applied a FT sticker to her walker. He apparently offered her immunity if she'd rat out the gang. Mercifully, she was never called.

Troxell also subpoenaed Logothetis' mother, though she knew nothing about Stickergate, to testify about where she lives. He never explained precisely why that matters. When she took the stand and it quickly became apparent that she is completely deaf in one ear and only has partial hearing in another, Judge Taschner exploded.

"You brought this woman here to testify without notifying us so we could have someone here who understands American Sign Language?" she asked. Troxell, who was the investigator, had no idea that one of his witnesses is deaf."

[Divernan]

1. Time for the police chief to put on his big boy pants and pursue actual criminals.

Absolutely love that the DJ told him to suck it up, cupcake.