Off-duty Pennsylvania State Police trooper arrested for burglary and aggravated assault

UNIONTOWN, Pa. (KDKA) — An off-duty Pennsylvania State Police trooper has been arrested and charged with burglary and aggravated assault.

Trooper James Stevenson was arrested in Fayette County over the weekend. He is a trooper at the Uniontown Barracks and was off-duty when the alleged incident occurred.

According to the criminal complaint, Stevenson went to a home on Oak Street in Connellsville shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday. He found, according to police, a woman preparing to have sex with another man. Investigators said the woman was Stevenson's girlfriend, but she told KDKA the two had broken up at the time of the incident.

The complaint says Stevenson jumped on the man and began punching him. According to the complaint, the woman was able to get out of the way.

She allegedly told police that Stevenson was “punching” the man's face. He then grabbed the woman by the shoulders and told her to get dressed, according to the complaint. She got in her car and left. She was not injured.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim's father found his son unconscious in bed.

Outside the home, police said the victim's father confronted Stevenson, reaching out the driver's side window to grab him. Stevenson then allegedly opened the door, knocking the man to the ground and breaking his glasses.

The victim was treated at a local hospital for cuts and bruises to his face and a broken nose, the criminal complaint states. He declined an interview with KDKA-TV on Monday.

State police in Waynesburg filed charges. A source told KDKA-TV that Stevenson has been arraigned and is on bail and unpaid leave. The Fayette County Prosecutor had no comment on the case. KDKA-TV has contacted state police but has not yet commented.

KDKA-TV also learned that Stevenson filed a discrimination lawsuit against state police and several Chambersburg barracks supervisors in 2022. That lawsuit is still pending.