Prosecutor Doesn’t Find Justice In Domestic-Violence Sentence

A Lackawanna County judge Thursday said an assistant district attorney who specializes in domestic-violence cases “came close to the edge of crossing from prosecution to persecution” as she fought to have a Taylor man jailed.

The rebuke to the assistant district attorney came during a sentencing hearing at which she told the judge that both she and the victim in the case “didn’t find justice” in his decision, which absolved the defendant of felony charges.

The subject of the pointed exchange was a part-time borough police officer when he entered the home of his girlfriend and assaulted her. The girl suffered minor injuries, according to the testimony.
Attorney Patrick M. Rogan, the defendant’s counsel, said he thought his client already had “been held to at higher standard” because of his former status as a police officer. He said he did not think it was fair for that to continue.

What happened during the incident was filled with questions of degrees. Attorney Rogan conceded the police officer’s actions were stupid but maintained that they were not enough to warrant completely ruining his life.


The Tribune, March 28, 1997