White Oak council votes to reinstate officer who was accused of assaulting wife
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
A former White Oak police officer, who was fired in 2018 after being accused of assaulting his wife, will be offered a conditional reinstatement.
Following a brief — but heated — discussion during Monday’s virtual meeting, councilmen George Pambacas, George Dillinger and Ken Robb voted against offering Timothy Estep his job back. Councilmen Chuck Davis, Ed Babyak and Lou Bender and Councilwoman Julie Opferman each voted to rehire the former officer.
Estep can’t return to the force until Solicitor Patricia McGrail “draws up a conditional statement about his reinstatement and the council approves it,” Pambacas said after the meeting.
The conditional terms will likely be voted on next month and, according to Bender, do not include giving Estock any back pay.
Estock was fired following an investigation by Allegheny County detectives into the alleged Sept. 17, 2018, assault. According to the criminal complaint, Helene Estep told police her husband, Estep, had been drinking and threw her to the ground and struck her in the chest and face. Police noted in the complaint that she suffered bruising on her arm, face and neck.
In an interview with county detectives, Estep allegedly admitted he had been drinking vodka since 9 a.m. the day of the incident and said he didn’t remember striking his wife, court records state.
Estep was charged with simple assault, but the case was dropped prior to his Oct. 11, 2018, preliminary hearing after his wife told investigators and prosecutors she didn’t want to pursue the case, according to Pambacas.
Council suspended Estep after he was charged, and at the December 2018 meeting voted to fire him.
In January 2019, Estep appealed his firing with the borough’s Civil Service Commission. Two months later, the commission board agreed to reduce his firing to a suspension and ordered him to undergo drug and alcohol treatment.
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