Mahanoy Twp. chief, officer facing federal charges suspended without pay
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - Mahanoy Township Police Chief Harry Brown, then a patrolman, is seen at a vehicle accident on Route 339 in February of 2023.
MAHANOY CITY – Mahanoy Township’s top cop and a patrolman are suspended without pay after they were charged in a federal indictment for an incident in Minersville.
At a special meeting Friday evening, Mahanoy Township supervisors unanimously approved a motion to suspend Chief Harry Brown and Patrolman Richard Clink without pay.
The suspension is “pending the outcome of the trial,” Chairman Ted Styka said as he made the motion.
Township supervisors also voted to appoint Patrolman Matt Williams as officer-in-charge in the interim.
Brown and Clink were indicted earlier this month on federal charges for civil rights violations and falsifying reports.
The charges stem from an incident on Feb. 2, 2022, when the two were officers with the Minersville Borough Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Gerard Karam alleges that Brown and Clink deprived an arrestee of their right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.
That force, federal authorities allege, led to bodily injury to the arrestee and the two officers then falsified reports to cover up their use of force.
Federal authorities allege that, instead, the two officers physically assaulted the suspect by striking and punching him.
Both Brown and Clink have entered not guilty pleas and have been ordered to surrender their passports, according to court filings.
The two officers left the Minersville police force on March 8, 2022. Clink had been a patrolman there since 2003, while Brown had been there since 2015.
Brown was named officer-in-charge in Dec. 2023 and formally appointed chief over the summer.
A court filing Wednesday scheduled trial for mid-December.
The Shenandoah Sentinel was the ONLY local news source at this meeting. If you find value in our reporting and in knowing what YOUR local elected leaders are doing, PLEASE consider contributing to our efforts via Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee.
About Author
