Click here to subscribe today or Login.
DALLAS TWP. — A Kingston Township police officer was injured while arresting an out-of-control man from Plymouth on Sunday.
Daniel Gallagher, 48, of Cool Street, was stopped by Dallas Township police investigating a person moving equipment in a construction site that is closed to the public on the campus of Misericordia University.
Police allege Gallagher appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance.
Gallagher initiated a struggle by kicking officers injuring one officer in the knee, according to court records.
Police had to use substantial force to arrest Gallagher, court records say.
Gallagher was arraigned Monday by District Judge Brian James Tupper in Luzerne County Central Court on four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of terroristic threats and a single count of institutional vandalism. He was jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $50,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police in Dallas Township responded to Misericordia University for a man moving equipment at a construction site.
The man, identified as Gallagher, got into a vehicle and drove away only to be encountered by police in the area of 200 Lake St.
Gallagher appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance and was advised by an officer to place his hands behind his back, the complaint says.
Gallagher refused repeated commands to put his arms behind him as he wanted to be handcuffed with his hands in front. Gallagher further raised his hands telling an officer to, “Tase me,” the complaint says.
Police in the complaint say Gallagher initiated a struggle with officers kicking several officers repeatedly in their groin and legs. An officer from Kingston Township was kicked several times and had to be transported to a hospital for a knee injury, according to the complaint.
Officers had to use substantial force to shackle Gallagher who intentionally banged his head inside the rear seat of a cruiser that became covered with his blood, the complaint says.
Police took Gallagher to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for his head injuries where he allegedly initiated another struggle attempting to reach for an officer’s pocket knife.
Security at the hospital assisted in moving Gallagher into the emergency room, where he was evaluated.