Posted on 06/11/2009 8:11:29 AM PDT by Born Conservative
A Luzerne County man was jailed Wednesday on charges of assaulting a Secret Service agent - punching him with a set of brass knuckles and smacking him in the head with a chunk of asphalt - in what city police described as a road rage incident.
William Slavoski, 52, resident agent in charge of the Scranton Secret Service office, suffered injuries to his face, head and left arm in the incident Tuesday evening on the Central Scranton Expressway, police said.
Police charged his alleged assailant, Kenneth Kile, 25, of 64 Penn St., Kingston, with aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment.
Police Chief David Elliott said there is no evidence either man knew the other, or that Agent Slavoski provoked the attack.
"He did nothing," the chief said. "He just ended up behind this gentleman, who was irate over something."
Agent Slavoski, who lives in Shavertown, told police he was on his way home in his duty car around 5:45 p.m. when a pickup truck that had been driving erratically stopped in front of him on the expressway, about 20 feet before the stop sign at the Interstate 81 entrance ramp.
The agent said he tapped his siren, and the driver of the pickup - later identified as Mr. Kile - got out and approached his car, asking, "What are you, some kind of cop?"
Agent Slavoski said when he identified himself as a Secret Service agent and told Mr. Kile to go back to his truck. The man leaned into his car and said, "If you spit on me again, I will (expletive) knock you out."
As Agent Slavoski tried to get out of his car, Mr. Kile grabbed him by the shirt and punched him, according to the agent and witnesses. Agent Slavoski punched back, and as they fought, Mr. Kile picked up a piece of broken asphalt from the roadway and struck the agent in the forehead.
Asked later by police if he knew the driver of the car was a law enforcement officer, Mr. Kile responded, "Yeah, but he didn't act like it," according to the arrest affidavit.
Police recovered a set of brass knuckles with three round metal skulls attached to the top in the grass near the pickup. Several of the injuries to the agent's head and arm were consistent with the size and shape of the weapon, police said.
Mr. Kile, who received stitches for a lip laceration at Mercy Hospital, was arraigned Wednesday morning by Magisterial District Judge Terrence Gallagher and held in the Lackawanna County Prison when he could not post $20,000 bail.
City police said the case has been referred to the FBI for possible federal prosecution.
Agent Slavoski was treated at Community Medical Center and released Tuesday night, said Robert Slama, special agent in charge of the Philadelphia district office. Agent Slavoski was recovering at home Wednesday, and Agent Slama was not certain when he would return to work.
In March, Agent Slavoski filed a complaint with the state police after his access to a law-enforcement records database was put on probationary status for a year, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.
The probation followed what Agent Slavoski's attorney called an improper investigation of Agent Slavoski ordered by Capt. Willard Oliphant, head of the state police internal affairs division, after he learned the agent had used the database to check Capt. Oliphant's vehicle registration.
In 2005, Exeter police charged Agent Slavoski with simple assault after an officer accused the agent of threatening him and driving his shoulder into the officer's chest during an incident at the Exeter police station. The charges were dismissed two months later, and the borough settled a false arrest lawsuit filed by Agent Slavoski and his son for $125,000 in 2007.
What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
Freaking loon!
Is this S.S. agent telling the truth? If you read the last paragraphs of the story, it looks as if he has a troubled record and several run-ins with the police.
Was he maybe tailgating the pickup?
Just wondering.
This is highly interesting. It could indicate a problem between LE agencies, or the use of the database for personal reasons. Neither reflect well on the agent.
Sounds like your typical average federal jack booted thug high on power and abusing the public every chance he gets.
Probably provoked the whole thing
Smells fishy...
Could be something that's going to happen.
And in this case there was. My guess is the officer got up within about 8 feet or so and this guy had already pegged him as someone needing a beatdown.
Note that the agent was driving a "duty vehicle". We can always tell which cars are Secret Service cars around the DC area, so I suppose they can be as easily IDd elsewhere.
The earlier run-in with the local cops where the agent won a lawsuit suggests the local cops probably need to be looked into.
Sounds like there’s a Mob interest in the area. Remember, the Secret Service also deals with issues of counterfeiting and most of your professional criminal groups don’t like the agents in their area.
I always wonder what it is that motivates a person to exit their vehicle when a frothing at the mouth nutball approaches them on foot.
He sounds like someone on Janet Napolitano’s list.
Yes, hard to say without more facts.
I make it a point, in any case, to stay well clear of drunken rednecks in pickup trucks, since they tend to fly off the handle very easily.
And I figure that the job of an S.S. man is to protect the president or perform other assigned duties, not to meddle in local problems if he can help it.
I would have to agree, something set this guy off. The odds of the pickup driver simply being "irate over something" and assaulting the agent in this way are too large to imagine.
I don't condone the assault. But if it turns out that the Agent pushed this guys buttons and provoked him, as I suspect he did, he got what he deserved IMO. Either way though the pickup driver will serve time, which he's earned.
Not a nice job.
Which one?
Looks like some people are getting a tad stressed of late.
Something isn't right with this agent.
Probably both the agent and locals need looking into. The son is mentioned, probably got into trouble and the locals tagged him. Agent shows and arrogantly expects special treatment. Pissing contest. Locals tougher, agent resorts to use of official channels to intimidate locals
Somebody is criminal here, maybe both sides.
Thanks, interesting event.
Perhaps a driver who was having auto trouble met a “bad”, pompous cop?
I imagine if the driver had any criminal record it would have been included in the article.
“The man leaned into his car and said, “If you spit on me again, I will (expletive) knock you out.”
A jury might agree spiting on someone is so offensive as to warrant such a threat. Leaning into a car doesn’t necessarily mean to me entry into the car. Hope there is a witness that can accurately clarify.
“As Agent Slavoski tried to get out of his car..”
Why, what was his intention if not to respond to the threat? Perhaps on the way out the agent said something that would constitute fighting words.
Looking forward to the rest of the story.
Good advice. I had a guy get out of his truck at a stop light after passing me too close (I was riding a bicycle, well off the shoulder) last summer, his shouting laced with profanities. When I suggested he catch the light which had turned green, he did, much to my surprise. I was armed and unafraid, but I'm glad matters didn't come to that.
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