Woman Accuses Former Officer Joseph Garner of Threatening

BELLEFONTE

A woman has accused a former Penn State police officer of repeatedly threatening and assaulting her, and twice using his master key in February to get into her university office and leave her notes.

Joseph Garner resigned from his job in February around the same time he was suspended as a police officer for 15 days, Assistant Chief Tom Sowerby said Tuesday.

The woman also accuses Garner of threatening to kill her animals, and using his military and law enforcement training to physically restrain her, according to court papers.

She filed a protection from abuse order against Garner on Feb. 4, which makes it illegal for Garner to have contact with her.

In her request for the order, the woman wrote that Garner had strangled, punched, grabbed, slapped, bit and pinched her.

At one point, she said, she received up to 30 harassing calls and text messages from Garner in a half-hour period, court papers say.

Twice between Feb. 2 and 3, she alleged, Garner used his university master key issued to police officers to enter her office and leave notes for her, court papers say.

A hearing scheduled for Tuesday in front of President Judge David E. Grine was continued until next week.

State police Sgt. Jim Emigh at Rockview said an investigation of an officer with Penn State police was referred to him, but no criminal charges have been filed.

The protection order is a civil matter unless it is violated.

“We were asked to look into an incident involving a Penn State police officer for some of his conduct on duty to determine if it rose to the level of a criminal offense,” Emigh said.

“As of now, we are still conducting our investigations.”

As part of the protection order, Garner was required by Judge Pamela Ruest to surrender his weapons. The county Sheriff’s Office said that Garner relinquished his weapons to a third party — something the law permits if the defendant chooses not to have the sheriff hold the weapons.