Off-duty Pennsylvania State Police officer arrested for burglary and aggravated assault

UNIONTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) – An off-duty Pennsylvania State Police trooper was arrested and charged with burglary and aggravated assault.

This weekend, Fayette County Police Officer James Stevenson was arrested. He is a Uniontown Barracks officer and was off duty at the time of the alleged incident.

According to the criminal complaint, Stevenson went to a home on Oak Street in Connellsville just before 1 a.m. on Sunday. There, police say, he found a woman preparing to have sex with another man. Investigators said the woman was Stevenson’s girlfriend, but she told KDKA the two were separated at the time of the incident.

The complaint states that Stevenson jumped on the man and began hitting him. The woman managed to dodge, according to the complaint.

She allegedly told police that Stevenson hit the man in the face. He then grabbed the woman by the shoulders and told her to get dressed, the complaint states. She got into her car and drove away. She was not injured.

According to the indictment, the victim’s father found his son unconscious in bed.

Outside the house, police say, the victim’s father confronted Stevenson and reached through the driver’s window to grab him. Stevenson then allegedly opened the door, threw the man to the ground and broke his glasses.

The victim was treated at a local hospital for cuts and bruises to his face and a broken nose, the criminal complaint states. He declined an interview with KDKA-TV on Monday.

State police in Waynesburg have filed charges. A source told KDKA-TV that Stevenson was arraigned and is free on bail and unpaid leave. The Fayette County District Attorney had no comment on the case. KDKA-TV has contacted state police but has not yet received a comment.

KDKA-TV also learned that Stevenson filed a discrimination lawsuit against state police and several supervisors at Chambersburg Barracks in 2022. That lawsuit is still pending.