Hearing set for Jeannette police officer accused of falsifying reports

A Jeannette police officer is free on $1,500 unsecured bail after his arraignment Monday on accusations that he was falsifying reports related to traffic stops.

District Judge Joseph DeMarchis read details of the 18 misdemeanor counts of tampering with records to Matthew S. Painter, 40, of Penn Township during the brief hearing. Painter declined to comment afterward.

His attorney, Patrick Thomassey, said he’s going to review the evidence.

“He’s been a good officer for a long time,” Thomassey said. “I don’t see him committing crimes. There’s a lot of politics involved with it, and we’ll see.”

Painter was charged Oct. 8. He was on paid administrative leave, city officials have said.

Police Chief Derek Manley reported to Westmoreland County detectives in July inconsistencies in 18 of Painter’s reports from traffic stops, according to court papers. In all of those instances, the reports list the driver, vehicle, license plate, a date and time of the purported traffic stop and infraction, with all of the drivers let go with a verbal warning, police said.

Detectives used body-worn cameras and cameras and GPS in patrol units to determine Painter did not conduct the traffic stops as he reported between June 18 and July 1, according to court papers. Officers’ body-worn cameras and cameras in patrol units activate automatically when the emergency lights are turned on, detectives said. There were no recordings for any of the stops Painter reported.

On a couple of occasions, Painter was on video at the police station when his reports indicated traffic stops were made, according to court papers. Detectives said they talked to three of the people who reportedly were pulled over and learned they had not been subject to a traffic stop by a Jeannette officer at the times, dates and locations in Painter’s reports.

A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 21.

Painter was hired in Jeannette in 2021 after leaving the Uniontown Police Department, where he was a police dog handler. His dog briefly worked for the Jeannette force, and Painter filed a lawsuit against the city in June claiming it violated labor laws by not paying him an overtime rate for time spent caring for the canine.

He was making $30.19 per hour in 2024 and $45.29 in hourly overtime.