Pa. Borough Settles Dispute with Ex-Officer For $50K

Blairsville council has approved a settlement with a former police officer who was fired last year, ending arbitration action she was pursuing against the borough.

Council this week voted 4-2 to pay Janelle Lydic a settlement of $50,000, including $2,500 to be paid to her attorney, Timothy Hewitt.

"The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of all the parties," borough Solicitor Pat Dougherty said after the meeting. Borough officials declined further comment, citing a non-comment provision of the agreement.

The settlement was approved by council members Ron Evanko, Mary Ugoletti, Jeff Marshall and John Bertolino. James Mollo and Carolyn Smith were opposed.

According to a copy of the settlement obtained by The Dispatch under Pennsylvania's Right-To-Know procedures, Lydic will not lose credited service time toward pension benefits provided under the police department's collective bargaining agreement. She has agreed not to apply for any future positions with Blairsville or its police force.

Neither the borough nor Lydic is admitting any liability or wrongdoing. Both sides have agreed not to initiate further legal action against the other party.

Lydic was employed as a part-time officer with the borough from July 1993 to December 2001 and from September to November 2003. She served full time from the latter date until her dismissal at council's May 2010 meeting.

At the time, borough officials did not state the cause for Lydic's firing. She had been placed on paid administrative leave and did not return to active duty after a March 11, 2010, incident at the police station in which she drew her gun during a confrontation with Christopher C. Hall, a student at the WyoTech automotive school near Blairsville.

According to a police report and court documents relating to the incident, Hall came to the station to complain that police took too long to respond to his complaint about noise from passing cars squealing their tires and drivers yelling. Hall reportedly asked Lydic, "Can I talk to someone less angry?" Lydic told him no one else was available and the two got into an argument.

While Lydic was escorting Hall out of the building, he said, "Do not touch me," and, as he pulled away, struck the officer in the face, breaking her eyeglasses, according to the report. When Lydic tried to arrest Hall, the two scuffled. Lydic said Hall refused her commands to get on the ground so she could handcuff him, so she pulled out her weapon to force him to comply, according to her account. Both Lydic and Hall were injured in the incident.

Blairsville police filed charges of aggravated and simple assault, resisting arrest and harassment against Hall after the incident, but all the charges were withdrawn.

Hall's attorney, Mark Bolkovac, had said his client "certainly did not assault the officer."

Indiana County District Attorney Tom Bianco at the time said he decided "it just wasn't appropriate to continue with charges" against Hall, after weighing conflicting accounts of the incident from both Hall and Lydic. Bianco said he was "more comfortable with what Christopher Hall's story was" but noted he lacked an independent witness to the incident.