PLUM, Pa. — A former police officer has filed a lawsuit against Plum Borough, the Municipality of Penn Hills and three police officers following his arrest last year.
Dennis M. Pape, a former Penn Hills police officer, was arrested after a two-vehicle crash on Universal Road in Plum on June 26, 2025.
At that time, police said Pape performed a PIT maneuver on another driver who had tried to pass him, causing the crash in an alleged instance of road rage.
All charges against Pape were dropped on June 6.
On Wednesday, Levin and Zieger LLP, which represents Pape, shared information offering a deeper look at Pape’s side of the story.
A lawsuit filed in the United States Western District of Pennsylvania alleges that the other vehicle crossed the double yellow line on Universal Road and struck Pape before speeding away.
Court paperwork says a Plum Borough police officer, Jacob Kingerski, and a Penn Hills police officer, Isaiah Jenkins, slammed Pape against his own vehicle and wrenched his arms behind his back, causing an injury to his elbow and arm. The complaint said Pape was taken into custody despite probable cause, was not resisting arrest, was unarmed and posed no threat.
Pape and his attorney said officers ignored a witness at the scene who told them the other driver was responsible for the crash.
Court documents say Pape was placed into a patrol vehicle exceeding 90 degrees and ignored when he asked for the air conditioning to be turned off.
Pape and his representatives say communication of his arrest was lacking, citing that he was never told he was being placed under arrest and was only told that he would “get something in the mail.”
Levin and Zeiger LLP also point to the affidavit filed against Pape as a problem, saying a lie was fabricated that he threatened “to shoot” and that his account of the crash was “falsely inverted to portray...a confession.”
Plum Borough police sergeant Scott Ricketts, who supervised the case, is also named in the complaint. He is accused of failing to train, supervise and discipline officers.
“Dennis Pape spent twenty years wearing a badge, and he cooperated with these officers from the moment they arrived,” said Brian J. Zeiger of Levin & Zeiger LLP, counsel for Mr. Pape. “For questioning how the scene was being handled and asking for a supervisor, speech the First Amendment plainly protects, he was slammed against his own car, injured, and hit with six criminal charges built on an affidavit we allege was simply false. The charges were thrown out. Now we intend to hold these officers and these municipalities accountable.”
Pape is seeking money to cover attorneys’ fees and other costs. He is also calling for a jury trial.
If you would like to read the full complaint, it is attached below.
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