Centre County DA reviewing dozens of cases after police officer admits to false reports
Centre County prosecutors are reviewing more than 50 criminal cases after a Spring Township police officer, who has since resigned, admitted to putting false information in at least some of his reports.
Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said Friday that the state attorney general’s office has also agreed to accept an investigation into the matter.
Cantorna said that his office learned of the issue less than two weeks ago. Officer Stephen T. Kutches disclosed the misconduct in a pre-employment questionnaire for a job with the Pennsylvania State Police.
“I remember when I first started and had my first couple [of] DUI arrests, I would never see distinct + sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, but still put it in my reports,” Kutches allegedly wrote in the questionnaire, according to a notice filed by county prosecutors.
Nystagmus is rapid, uncontrollable eye movements and is often used in DUI investigations as a sign of impairment. The Centre Daily Times was not immediately able to confirm the exact nature of the question to which Kutches responded.
Cantorna said state police immediately notified Spring Township police Chief Adam Salyards, who in turn notified prosecutors. Kutches also recorded a person over the phone without their consent, according to the notice from the DA’s office.
Cantorna said there is no indication of wrongful arrests, but acknowledged the disclosure called Kutches’ credibility into question. Prosecutors on Friday intended to drop four open DUI cases that relied on Kutches’ observations, including one against a Penns Valley man who was scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
Centre County First Assistant Public Defender Lora Rupert expressed surprise at the misconduct.
“Had sentencing proceeded, he would have faced a loss of liberty,” Rupert said in a text message to the CDT, referring to her client. “... Thankfully, the case has been dismissed and our office is looking into other individuals who may have been affected by this.”
Defense attorney Matt McClenahen, who represented a Pennsylvania woman that had been charged with DUI, said the dropped charges were a “very positive and unexpected development for my client, but sometimes you get your wins wherever you can get them.”
“The DA’s office did the proper thing by dismissing the charges because if there was a trial and this officer were subject to cross-examination about his credibility, that would undermine the credibility of all police officers,” McClenahen said.
Kutches was hired by Spring Township police in December 2021. He was working as a patrolman as of early February and was making $37.23 an hour, about $77,450 per year. An attempt to reach him Friday was unsuccessful.
His resignation was effective April 18. Salyards said in a news release he received information about the reports in late March, immediately initiated an internal affairs investigation and placed Kutches on administrative leave. Salyards said he then forwarded all information to Cantorna’s office.
“The officer did not work any shifts from the time the information was received through his resignation,” Salyards said in a written statement. “The Spring Township Police Department has fully cooperated with the District Attorney’s Office and all other relevant governmental agencies and will continue to do so as the matter proceeds.
“Integrity and public trust are central to our mission, and we will continue building them with our community.”
Cantorna said his office had no prior concerns with Kutches’ credibility, and the county’s top prosecutor also said neither supervisors nor prosecutors had a reason to doubt the falsified reports before Kutches’ disclosure.
“It will require us to review any case where issues are raised,” Cantorna added. “We’re going to have to individually review them.”
