PHILADELPHIA - A Colwyn man says he was repeatedly harassed by a cop there, including being placed in a cop car because he was drinking ginger ale outside.
A lawsuit was filed Dec. 28 against the Borough of Colwyn, its Mayor Maurice J. Clark Sr., former Chief of Police Ishmial Johnston, and Officer Jabril Muhammad by plaintiff Joseph Logan. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Logan is represented by attorneys from van der Veen, Hartshorn, and Levin. He alleges that Colwyn Borough is known for its corruption, particularly within the police department. The complaint cites multiple news sources reporting on this corruption and a previous lawsuit filed by resident Kimberly Brown against Mayor Clark and several police officers.
The complaint also states that despite knowledge of Johnston's past guilty plea to harassment charges, he was promoted to Chief of Police by the Borough Council and Mayor Clark in May 2022. Johnston resigned abruptly in October 2023 without explanation, shortly before his arrest for assault and harassment against a former romantic partner.
Muhammad issued three tickets against Logan, who was living in his car and unable to produce registration and insurance documentation, the suit says. Those tickets were dropped by a judge.
At a friend's house, Logan says he was threatened with arrest by Muhammad while taking a smoke break outside and drinking ginger ale out of a cup. Muhammad didn't arrest him, and Logan filed a complaint - leading to criminal charges being issued three months after the incident, the suit says.
Bruce Castor, a former acting state attorney general, is representing Logan.