[PA] I-SPY dv-charged, "resigned" Officer Novotny looking for new cop job

...He had been charged with assault by Dale Borough police after Glennda Smith, his then live-in girlfriend, told authorities Novotny had pushed her into a wall in October 2002. She later said she had been drinking when she fell and hit her head... "I knew that if I ever was going to apply to work as a police officer again that this case would come up. "I have nothing to hide"...

Susquehanna tables hiring of ex-city cop
The Tribune-Democrat, PA
BY JULIE BENAMATI
February 08, 2008
[Excerpts] A former Johnstown city police officer who resigned five years ago in the wake of a minor domestic violence charge is looking for a second chance to protect and serve. Jeff Novotny, 35, is seeking that chance at the opposite end of the county: Susquehanna Township. Township supervisors on Tuesday tabled a decision to hire Novotny because police union contract negotiations remain unresolved. Hiring Novotny as a part-time officer for $8 per hour for up to 30 hours a week was listed on the evening's agenda, and the action was pending receipt of all clearances. Novotny was one of three officers interviewed for the post in recent weeks. Officer Ron Schilling, the township's officer-in-charge, said Friday that he received the required state police criminal background check on Novotny and it was returned with a satisfactory rating. But Schilling said Novotny's references, to his knowledge, were not checked... Previous Tribune-Democrat articles said Novotny pleaded guilty in January 2003 to a summary harassment charge. He had been charged with assault by Dale Borough police after Glennda Smith, his then live-in girlfriend, told authorities Novotny had pushed her into a wall in October 2002. She later said she had been drinking when she fell and hit her head. Smith later refused to testify against him. Novotny paid about $1,300 in fines and court costs and served no probation. Court records show Novotny had been examined by a psychologist, who determined he posed no mental-health risk. Novotny's guilty plea to a summary offense did not prevent him from working as a police officer. Such pleas do not appear on state police criminal background checks because they are not considered serious... "We had an argument that got out of hand," Novotny said of the incident five years ago. He added that he was not forced to resign from the Johnstown force. "I was unhappy with the department not believing me, as an officer," Novotny said, referring to being suspended without pay when the incident first occurred. "I knew that if I ever was going to apply to work as a police officer again that this case would come up. "I have nothing to hide."