Judge refuses to appoint man as constable because of alleged 'checkered' past
A man’s run-ins with the police and civil court cases make him unsuitable to be appointed as a constable in Pennsylvania, according to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania’s president judge. (Photo from Shutterstock)
A man’s run-ins with the police and civil court cases make him unsuitable to be appointed as a constable in Pennsylvania, according to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania’s president judge.
The man’s spotty history allegedly included stealing muffin mix and pans, along with punching another man in the face, according to Lancaster County President Judge Leonard G. Brown III in an opinion earlier this month.
Jason Tragis, 51, of the West Donegal Township in Pennsylvania, is an owner of a gun dealership. He asked for a court appointment as a constable in the Mount Joy Borough in Pennsylvania because no one was running for the position in the May primary election. Brown denied the court appointment in April. Tragis appealed, leading Brown to explain his reasoning in a 12-page opinion filed June 12 asking the Pennsylvania Superior Court to uphold his denial.
“To say it graciously, Tragis’ background is checkered, requiring that he disclose numerous infractions to the investigators conducting his background investigation,” Brown wrote. “Tragis’ history of aggressive behavior and theft is enough on its own to support the Court’s conclusion that Tragis is not a suitable person for constable.”
David R. Osborne, Tragis’ attorney, told the ABA Journal that his client was “blindsided by what turned out to be profound misunderstandings about his past.”
In Pennsylvania, constables are elected and serve six-year terms as sworn law enforcement officials with limited judicial power, such as serving writs and warrants. When there are vacancies, however, a judge can appoint a “suitable person,” according to a story by LancasterOnline.com.
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