-- Messages from file: /usr0/pshell/mail.txt -- Thursday, 23 January 1997 9:38AM Message 680 -- ********************* Return-Path: Received: from CMU1.ACS.CMU.EDU by NL.CS.CMU.EDU id aa06275; 23 Jan 97 5:38:35 EST Received: (from daemon@localhost) by cmu1.acs.cmu.edu (8.8.2/8.7.3) id FAA07557 for pshell@nl.cs.cmu.edu; Thu, 23 Jan 1997 05:38:32 -0500 Received: via localmail; Thu, 23 Jan 1997 05:38:31 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail.igc.net (mail.igc.net [207.89.0.110]) by cmu1.acs.cmu.edu (8.8.2/8.7.3) with ESMTP id FAA07552 for ; Thu, 23 Jan 1997 05:38:30 -0500 Received: from sysadmin (dialup10.pgh.sgi.net [206.151.183.12]) by mail.igc.net (8.7.6/8.6.12) with SMTP id FAA06238 for ; Thu, 23 Jan 1997 05:38:26 -0500 Message-Id: <199701231038.FAA06238@mail.igc.net> Comments: Authenticated sender is From: "vicnot" To: pshell@cmu.edu Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 05:38:21 +0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: more police brutality... Reply-to: vicnot@igc.net Priority: urgent X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v2.50) Uniontown man, state agree to $150,000 settlement in beating case By The Tribune-Review The state has agreed to a $150,000 settlement in the case of a Fayette County man who claims that troopers beat him during a traffic stop three years ago. The settlement stems from a federal lawsuit filed by Mark Miller of Uniontown; his sister, Leota Svec; and Uniontown tavern owner Edward Fike, a friend of Miller's. Fike said the three settled the lawsuit just to put the matter behind them. "It was just such a long, drawn-out thing (which was) stressful for everyone," he said. Fike said the entire process was "kind of degrading." At every turn of events, he said, his bar was portrayed as a drug hangout. "I just want the whole thing to go away," he said. Fike said his major satisfaction was in putting a temporary halt to the "vigilante" actions of police. The lawsuit alleges Miller was beaten by troopers Jefferson Zarella and James Sheldone, then of the Uniontown barracks, after they had arrested him on Jan. 15, 1994, for driving under the influence. Miller alleges he emerged from the car and was punched, kicked and struck with a large flashlight. Fike was also in the car with Miller, who police allege led them on a high-speed chase. The lawsuit further alleges that Zarella, Sheldone and eight other troopers from the Uniontown barracks systematically threatened Fike with the loss of his liquor license at Park's Casino if Miller did not drop his allegations. The suit states the troopers promised Fike "a lot of trouble" if the allegations were not dropped. The troopers told Fike they would attempt to have the bar declared a nuisance, according to the suit. Svec, who lives with Fike, filed the original complaint against state police in the Uniontown barracks. In July 1995, a jury in Fayette County Court acquitted Zarella and Sheldone of charges of official oppression, but both troopers were transferred and Zarella was later suspended for alleged misconduct in another case. Both troopers had previously been suspended without pay. The state is not admitting wrongdoing in the settlement, said Jack Lewis, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's Office, which defended the troopers.