Crime & Safety

Warminster Officer Charged with Prisoner Harassment and Assault

Cpl. Michael Allan Schmalz has been discharged from the Warminster Police Department over the alleged mistreatment of a suspect in custody in early July.

A former Warminster police officer has been arrested and charged with several counts of harassment and assault following an alleged altercation that occurred at the Warminster Police Department in early July, according to phillyburbs.com.

A preliminary hearing for Cpl. Michael Allan Schmalz, of Warrington, has been scheduled for Oct. 24 before Warrington District Judge Mark Douple. He faces one count of simple assault, one count of harassment and two counts of tampering with public records.

The alleged incident forced Warminster Police Chief Michael Murphy to remove Schmalz from the police department on Aug. 6, Phillyburbs.com reports, just months after his promotion to corporal.

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According to the news report, early morning on July 6, Warrington police officers arrested and brought in 31-year-old Shaun Patrick Queeny to the Warminster Police Department for booking for disorderly conduct.

After entering the holding cell shortly after 3 a.m., Queeny began reacting violently by yelling and slapping and kicking the cell door. After Schmalz and other officers entered the room to handcuff him, Queeny then hit the door with his knee. 

Find out what's happening in Warminsterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Phillyburbs says that video surveillance shows Schmalz and another officer allegedly removing Queeny from the cell and placing him face down on the floor. Schmalz then slapped Queeny several times on the back of the head and gave him a 10-second dose of pepper spray, according to the complaint.

Murphy told phillyburbs.com that Schmalz was placed on administrative leave after the incident and the subsequent investigation showed possible criminal behavior.


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