Bradford Township Supervisor Tom Vickery has been cited by
Bradford City Police with disorderly conduct for an incident
involving a 74-year-old man and a disagreement over local ambulance
services.
Vickery, of 200 Fernwood Drive, had initiated the report that
led to him being charged, according to police records.
At 8:35 a.m. Nov. 22, Vickery entered the Bradford City Police
station and reported to Lt. Carl Milks that he had been “assaulted”
at the Kennedy Street Cafe.
“He stated an old man grabbed him by the neck and threw him
against the wall,” Milks’s report read. “He demanded we arrest the
man involved …”
Vickery started to leave the police station when Milks explained
to him that he would need a written statement because he didn’t see
the alleged assault occur.
“He stated ‘he didn’t have time to do your jobs for ya’ and
started out the door,” Milks wrote in his report. “I told him we
could not do anything until we received a written statement of what
happened.”
Vickery then asked for a form and described the alleged
assailant to Milks, who went to the Kennedy Street Cafe to find the
man.
His statement read, “Man assaulted Tom Vickery in Kennedy Street
Cafe,” according to the report. No other details were given.
The report reads that Milks found the man, identified as Robert
Pascarella, 74, sitting at the counter in the cafe and spoke to
him. Pascarella accompanied Milks back to the police station.
Vickery was getting into his truck when Milks and Pascarella
were walking across the street, and Vickery yelled at Pascarella
before leaving, Milks noted in the report.
Pascarella was interviewed regarding the incident and said,
“that young punk was in there running his mouth about the ambulance
services and I gave him my opinion, he popped off some more. He
told me to ‘shut up, old man,’ so I stood up and pushed his
shoulder telling him to get out of here,” the report read.
Four witnesses were interviewed at the cafe. Witnesses told
Milks that Vickery was “loud and boisterous” and was “arguing with
anybody who would argue with him.”
The alleged assault consisted of Pascarella pushing Vickery once
in the chest and shoulder area and telling him to leave, the
witnesses told Milks. Vickery had been “right up in the old guy’s
face,” witnesses said, and Pascarella pushed Vickery away,
according to the report.
Milks wrote that based on the information gathered from the
interviews, he chose not to charge Pascarella. Based on “complaints
from witnesses and patrons about having their breakfasts ruined by
Vickery’s actions,” Milks cited Vickery with a summary offense of
disorderly conduct.
The citation, filed in District Judge Chris Hauser’s office,
reads that Vickery “did cause public annoyance and alarm by
engaging in tumultuous behavior against patrons of Kennedy Street
Cafe.”
Vickery had not responded to the citation as of Wednesday
afternoon.
