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Raitter, Swoyersville roll to Region 5 Legion championship

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Cops: Shots fired at Wilkes-Barre home; fourth incident in last week

<p>PLYMOUTH &#8212; A borough police officer threatened to use a stun gun on a teenager before he grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground in an expletive-filled confrontation outside a gas station last year, a lawsuit filed Thursday against the borough alleges.</p><p>Brittney Washko, of Swoyersville, claims in the lawsuit filed in Luzerne County that requests for the surveillance video, police report and officer&#8217;s name were refused by the borough as part of its &#8220;policy&#8221; to refuse to provide evidence or name officers &#8220;engaged in wrongful conduct,&#8221; according to the complaint.</p><p>&#8220;Plymouth&#8217;s policy &#8230; is that its officers are never wrong and always supported by the borough regardless of the illegal actions they take,&#8221; says the complaint, filed by attorneys Barry H. Dyller and Matthew Clemente. &#8220;This policy &#8230; emboldens Plymouth police officers, including the officer who seized and assaulted Brittney, to believe that they can arrest without probable cause and use force without justification.&#8221;</p><p>Borough solicitor Michael R. Kostelansky said he had not yet seen the allegations and could not comment.</p><p>According to the complaint, Washko was trying to buy an energy drink at Turkey Hill on Aug. 22 when the officer ordered her to leave. When she refused, the officer grabbed her by the neck, slammed her to the ground and held her head against the floor while cursing and threatening to use his stun gun on her, the complaint says.</p><p>After Washko was cuffed and put in an officer&#8217;s car, she complained about the cuffs being too tight, resulting in the officer again slamming her &#8212; this time against the vehicle, the lawsuit alleges.</p><p>Washko&#8217;s father spoke to the officer on the phone while she was in cuffs, but the officer refused to identify himself, according to the suit. She was allowed to leave after her grandmother arrived.</p><p>Court records show Washko was never charged with a crime.</p><p>When Washko went back to Turkey Hill in pursuit of surveillance footage, she was told the officer had already taken it, the complaint says.</p><p>Further efforts by Washko&#8217;s attorneys to collect information from the borough were refused, revealing its &#8220;lack of accountability of the Plymouth Borough Police Department,&#8221; according to the complaint.</p><p>Washko is seeking compensatory damages.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Lawsuit: Plymouth protecting cop who allegedly slammed teen to ground