Borough Police Officer 'Deliberately Assaulted' Man, Lawsuit Claims

A Pipersville man has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Doylestown Borough police and is seeking more than $1.5 million in damages.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court Monday, Paul Bradberry, 35, says officer Keith Dietz “knowingly and deliberately assaulted, battered and abused” him during an incident on March 17.

The lawsuit states that Bradberry was both physically and mentally harmed and then wrongfully arrested and prosecuted during the incident earlier this year.

According to the lawsuit, Bradberry was standing on the sidewalk near 12 W State St. at approximately 12:50 a.m., when Dietz approached him and asked for identification. The lawsuit says Bradberry questioned why and at that point, Dietz detained and arrested him “without probable cause or legal justification.”

As he was being escorted to the police vehicle, Bradberry continued to ask why he was being arrested, the lawsuit says.  Dietz then “repeatedly” deployed a Taser into Bradberry’s back, according to the lawsuit. Use of the Taser resulted in “physical injuries, scarring and mental suffering,” the lawsuit says.

According to the lawsuit, Bradberry says he never physically resisted the efforts of police to detain or arrest him.

The lawsuit goes onto say that police filed charges for disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and criminal mischief “with actual knowledge that Plaintiff Bradberry had committed no crimes.”

Bradberry was cleared and acquitted of all charges last month.  

He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as litigation costs and attorney’s fees for the “wrongful, unconstitutional, outrageous and egregious conduct,” the lawsuit states.