McClure area resident Jeff Kohler was getting ready to head off to work leaving his kids with their grandmother in Lewistown for the day. What Kohler says was supposed to be a quick trip to grab a beverage for the road almost cost him a lot more than a few dollars. The husband, father, and business owner says that a case of mistaken identity resulted in two Pennsylvania State Constables violating his civil rights.

Kohler published a video on July 14th documenting the incident. The video is shot outside a Sheetz Gas Station in Lewistown, PA and shows the second half of the incident. Shortly after the video begins Constable Steven G. Elliott threatens to taser and “beat the fuck” out of Kohler for not producing identification at the Constable’s request.

In a phone interview, Kohler recounted what took place before he began recording: I walked into the store by myself….The officer in the gray came up to me and asked if I was Mr Baumgardner. I said no sir, I’m not. He said ‘what is your last name?’ I said that I don’t answer questions, that I apologized, –politely said it– and he said ‘ok, that’s fine’ and he walked out. I assumed it was over at that point, paid for my stuff. I turned around and noticed both doors were blocked off…
I went to walk out the front door which was right into [Constable Steven Elliott]. [Elliott] said ‘what is your name sir?’ I said that I told his partner in the store I don’t answer questions. [Elliott] said ‘are you Mr Baumgardner?’ I said sir, I told you once, I don’t answer questions. [Elliott] said ‘well you are required to give me your ID, so you need to stop.’ Then I said, sir I am not required to give you anything, Pennsylvania is not a stop and identify state. I do not need to show you my ID, I am not committing any crimes, I am just buying something to drink. [Elliott] is like ‘no, you need to stop or I am going to detain you.’ That is when I decided to start recording.

Constable Elliot was not as willing to discuss the incident in a call placed to the number listed on his business card. Before abruptly hanging up, and although a woman could be heard in the background pleading for him to give his side of the story, when asked for his version Elliott responded only “I am not sure what you are talking about.” Elliott was identified by multiple residents who have recently interacted with him in the Mifflin County region. The vehicle pictured on his business card can also be seen clearly in the background of Kohler’s video (0:12 seconds).

PA State Constable Steven G. Elliott is from Harrison Township in Bedford County, firearms certified, and received a single write-in vote in 2015. According to Elliott’s facebook page he is a former First Sergeant in the United States Army. The only required obligation of a Constable is to maintain the peace at polling places on voting day. However, Constables are able to take work serving warrants for Magisterial District Judges anywhere in the Commonwealth. Elliott had been in the Lewistown area for a while, and this was not his only negative interaction with a Mifflin County resident.

Resident Taddy Bressler said Constable Elliott came pounding at her door recently. “I was at the grocery store and my son answered” Bressler recalled, her son “wasn’t even supposed to answer the door but they kept pounding.” According to Bressler after Elliott demanded that her son prove she wasn’t home as well as provide his mother’s cell phone number, Elliott threatened the young man. Bressler claims Elliott told her son they would take him to jail and if she had been “gone more than 4 hrs they have to take him to foster care to which my son replied I’m 14 and she’s coming right back.” Bressler says her run-in with Constable Elliott scared her son. Bressler says she was able to send pictures showing her traffic fine was already paid to another Constable working with Elliott that day and promptly asked them to leave.

It is not yet clear why Constable Elliott was so far from home. The bench warrant for suspect Keith Baumgardner on retail theft charges was issued by Magisterial District Judge Jack Miller. Baumgardner has had many, many, many interactions with law enforcement, was quickly remembered by other Constables from the area, and does not appear to strongly resemble Kohler. In addition to the misidentification and making threats, other law enforcement officers are raising questions about why Elliott’s vehicle has a light bar when Constables are not permitted to use them.

For his part, Kohler says although he has had many great interactions with the municipal police in his home community,that this experience definitely impacts his feelings about law enforcement. “I wouldn’t have acted the way I did if I hadn’t already seen so much shady stuff happen in that county… That is crazy he doesn’t remember the incident.” “If I wouldn’t have known my rights, what would have happened? If I wouldn’t have had my phone what would have happened?” Kohler worries. “Is he going to come back and taser me?”

A second constable involved in the incident (wearing gray) has not yet been identified.