Newcastle police chief arrested, resigns

STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED: PLEASE SEE EDITOR'S NOTE AT END OF STORY
 
Too many beers and a joke gone wrong led to a domestic dispute call and the arrest of Newcastle Police Chief Samuel Keller, 58, and the Newcastle City Council began the process of finding and hiring a new chief on Monday.
Keller tendered his resignation within 24 hours of his arrest last week, pleaded guilty and was released on his own recognizance, according to court documents and reports from Weston County Sheriff Bryan Colvard. 
“On May 30, at approximately 20:14 (8:14), I (Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Fields) was contacted by Newcastle Dispatch requesting that I respond to a domestic dispute, due to it being a conflict of interest with Newcastle Police Department,” Fields said in the probable cause documents. 
Upon arriving at the scene, 441 Cambria St., Fields found Newcastle Police Sgt. Levi Tacy and officer Jason Barker, who were the first to arrive on the scene. They informed the deputy that there was one female victim who was checked by EMS and refused service. 
Upon meeting the victim, Fields said, he observed a laceration under her right eye, her cheek bone and both dried and fresh blood on her face. He noted that she appeared to have been lying down and had mud on her face. 
“I asked her what happened,” Fields reported, “she flipped him back in the chair and he threw a full beer in the air, and it caught her in the face.”
“She stated that she thought it was a joke to tip him back in the chair, but he got mad and threw the can at her. I asked her how she got mud on her face, she stated she fell when she got hit in the face with the can,” the deputy wrote.
When asked if the two had been arguing, the female responded that she had tipped him back like he had done to her before, noting he threw the can full force at her face. 
“I walked to the backyard where this had happened. She stated she tipped him back where he was sitting near a table, and she ran about approximately 8 feet away, where he picked up the full beer and threw it at her,” the affidavit says. “She stated they talked about it for a while and drank some more beers, along with the one that was thrown.” 
Barker reported in the court document that Keller had said she attacked him and he retaliated, and that he should be arrested. 
“I went to officer Barker’s patrol car to talk to Keller who was currently detained inside the vehicle,” Fields says in the affidavit. “I asked Keller what happened and if he would like to talk with me. I told him I heard her side and would like to hear his. He stated they pushed each other’s buttons, along with too much alcohol.” 
After consulting with Colvard, Fields placed Keller under arrest for domestic assault. He was remanded into the custody of Cpl. Tavis Witcher at the Weston County Detention Center, where he was held until court the
following day. 
Fields reported in the court documents that Keller had asked for his weapons and vehicle to be secured and that Tacy and Barker had secured the weapons. 
Due to the nature of the case, Crook County Attorney Joseph M. Baron was appointed to serve as a special prosecutor.
On May 31, Keller was released on his own recognizance by Circuit Court Judge Lynda Bush. Colvard reported that Keller had pleaded guilty. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 13 at 11 a.m.
On Monday evening, the Newcastle City Council adjourned to an executive session at the end of their regularly scheduled meeting to discuss "personnel."
When asked for comment Tuesday morning, Mayor Pam Gualtieri said that they could not provide comment at this time due to the active nature of the situation.
 
(Editor's Note: The News Letter Journal has learned that our original report on this story contained an error. We had reported that the Newcastle City Council returned to open session following an executive session on Monday, June 6 and voted unanimously to accept Keller's resignation based on confirmation from Mayor Pam Gualieri that the council had in fact voted to accept the resignation. We have since learned that the council did not vote in open session, but did so through email communication, according to Gualtieri. The News Letter Journal is now investigating the procedure used by the council to accept Keller's resignation and who is in charge of the city's police force now.)