Lawsuit alleges excessive force used

The suit alleges the plaintiff was illegally and falsely arrested.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Girard man has filed a $500,000 civil-rights lawsuit against Boardman Police Chief Jeffrey Patterson and four township police officers alleging the officers used excessive force when they arrested him in a Feb. 25, 2003, traffic stop In Youngstown.
Besides the chief, Police Officers Anthony J. Ciccotelli, Johnathan Martin, Albert A. Kakascik and Eric Karelin are named as defendants in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court by Atty. Ted Macejko Jr. on behalf of David T. Riley, of North Highland Avenue.
The suit, which alleges Riley was illegally and falsely arrested, does not say why township officers made the traffic stop in Youngstown.
After being sprayed with Chemical Mace, "plaintiff was willfully and wantonly choked, knocked to the ground, beaten with weapons and flashlights carried by said officers," as well as by fists and feet, the suit said.
Riley was handcuffed and jailed for more than five days and his request for medical attention was denied, the suit says, without specifying the nature of Riley's injuries.
Jailed after arrest
After his arrest, Riley was charged with aggravated robbery, three counts of assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, obstructing official business, disorderly conduct, not wearing a seat belt, not having license plates lights and having an obstructed validation sticker.
On April 11, 2003, all of the felony charges were dismissed in Youngstown Municipal Court, the suit says, without stating the disposition of the traffic charges.
Robyn Gallitto, township trustee chairwoman, who is also a lawyer, said she could not comment on the merits of the case but expects the township will investigate the matter and defend the case vigorously.
She said the township turns such suits over to its insurance carrier, the Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority.
Patterson could not be reached to comment.