Pennsylvania Borough Insurer Pays $225K to Stunned Cuffed Man

A western Pennsylvania man who claimed a police officer used a stun gun on him while he was handcuffed was paid $225,000 by a borough’s insurance carrier to settle a lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in July on behalf of Gary Cahill, 36, of Harwick, stemming from an encounter on Dec. 17, 2011, with Springdale officer Mark Thom.
Thom pleaded guilty in March to a criminal charge of violating Cahill’s civil rights by punching and stunning Cahill after he was handcuffed and not resisting. Thom is free on bond, awaiting sentencing before a federal judge in Pittsburgh on Oct. 22. He has since resigned. Cahill’s lawsuit didn’t target Thom, but rather the Springdale police department and its since-retired chief, who allegedly failed to properly train or supervise Thom and another officer who was allegedly present but didn’t intervene.