A Pennsylvania state trooper is breathing a little easier nowadays after being granted probation for using pepper spray on a teen in a Smock, PA home he shared with the boy’s mother. Senior Judge Gerald R. Solomon admitted Ernest Ramsey Boatright, 49, a 25-year veteran on the force from Pittsburgh, to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program (ARD) for six months. He was charged with endangering the welfare of children and harassment in November 2013 by the state police.
It might seems strange to be granted probation for such a serious crime. The boy that Boatright assaulted testified that he was in is downstairs bedroom when he heard the officer’s footsteps on the steps. The boy noticed a hissing sound and the smell of pepper spray shortly after. According to TribLive News, the boy testified, “My nose started to run, my eyes started to water, my throat started to hurt. I looked to my right to a (night)stand, and there was an orange puddle.”
Boatright was granted the ARD program as a first time offender. It’s another form of probation. In the ARD program, there is no requirement for an admission of guilt. After successfully finishing the program, participants can petition the court to have their records expunged. In addition to the six months on the ARD program, Boatright must also serve 50 hours of community service at a “location to be determined.”
Matthew Zatko, Boatright’s attorney, maintains his client’s innocence, saying, “Given the issues that were raised at the preliminary hearing, coupled with my client’s denial throughout of any wrongdoing, the decision was made that the ARD program was a reasonable resolution for all parties involved.” In 2013, Zelko said the pepper spray incident stemmed from “bad blood” Boatright had with the boy’s mother.
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