Penn Hills man charged with false arrest

Aug. 20--Penn Hills police say a North Braddock police officer unlawfully placed two men under arrest when he thought they were scamming him and his wife.

Sharon Jackson, 26, of Braddock believed he and his wife were being scammed by two life insurance agents when they showed up to their Penn Hills home on the 700 block of Cedarwood Drive, so he pointed a Taser at one of them, placed handcuffs on both of them and told them they were under arrest for fraud, according to a criminal complaint filed against him in April.

With the two life insurance agents in handcuffs on his couch, Jackson then called the Penn Hills Police Department. Jackson told the responding officer he was a North Braddock police officer and that the life insurance agents had his wife's personal information.

The North Braddock police department did not respond to a request for comment. Media reports show Jackson, a part-time police officer in North Braddock, was removed from the department's schedule in May.

"Jackson informed me that he would release them from his handcuffs if they agreed to delete her information," the officer wrote in the complaint, adding Jackson made it clear he thought they worked for a fraudulent life insurance company.

"Through further investigation, it was determined that (the insurance agents) work for a legitimate company ... and weren't involved in a scam. Therefore, no fraud actually ever existed," said the complaint.

The insurance agents told the Penn Hills police officer they spoke with Jackson's wife and scheduled a time to meet the couple at their Penn Hills home. They held an initial meeting, left the house and were called back minutes after.

"While on the phone (Jackson) stated he discussed the policy with his wife and he wanted (the insurance agents) to return to purchase the policy," the complaint said.

After discussing the policy further, one of the insurance agents asked for bank information to finish the process. That's when Jackson identified himself as a police officer, the complaint said, and placed handcuffs on them. During that process, he also pointed a Taser at one of the insurance agents. He told them they were under arrest for fraud.

Jackson faces two counts of false imprisonment and two counts of official oppression. He originally faced additional counts of simple assault but those charges were dismissed.

He was released without bail on Aug. 12 and is scheduled for a formal arraignment at the Allegheny County courthouse in September.

Court records do not show any legal representation for Jackson, who was not immediately available to comment.

Dillon Carr is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Dillon at 412-871-2325, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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