Jury convicts New Alexandria man of resisting arrest

A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday sided with police officers who used force to subdue a New Alexandria man who was found wandering through a Unity neighborhood two years ago.

After nearly three hours of deliberations, the jury convicted Denton Krapf of one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest in connection with the Jan. 30, 2023, incident that left him with three broken ribs and a sprained neck. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger also found Krapf guilty of one summary charge of disorderly conduct.

Krapf, 48, of New Alexandria has contended police used excessive force during the confrontation. Last month, he filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that raised allegations of abuse. That case remains pending.

“I respect the jury verdict, but I’m obviously disappointed,” defense attorney Kamron Maknoon said. “Just because he resisted doesn’t absolve them. The verdict is not a reflection that the police conduct was appropriate.”

Prosecutors during the three-day trial argued the three state police troopers who responded to calls from neighbors about a suspicious man wandering their yards on a cold, snowy night made a lawful arrest as they struggled to subdue Krapf after he refused to comply with directions.

Troopers testified Krapf ignored a request to show identification and physically fought off officers as they attempted to place him in handcuffs.

Dashcam video from one police cruiser and two doorbells of the nearly 10-minute confrontation was played for jurors. It showed Krapf’s attempts to pull away from police and the officer’s response that included his being taken to the ground, punched, tasered and ultimately subdued.

All three officers involved in Krapf’s arrest testified they adhered to use-of-force directives as trained by the state police. They said repeated punches thrown at Krapf, described as “compliance strikes,” were designed to deliver pain but not injury. Multiple efforts to subdue Krapf with a Taser had no effect, they claimed.

The troopers told jurors Krapf did not appear to be injured during or immediately after the confrontation, but, two to three hours later, he complained of rib pain and was transported to a local hospital.

One trooper testified he believed Krapf was under the influence of drugs.

“The troopers were there to merely do their job. The defendant had every single opportunity to end this event,” said Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro in his closing argument to the jury. “The troopers are not on trial. The defendant is on trial for his actions.”

Krapf originally faced additional charges of aggravated assault related to allegations that one trooper suffered a broken hand during confrontation. The assault charge was dismissed last year.

“I was in no way a threat to anybody. I was just trying to get to the hospital,” Krapf said in an interview after the verdict was announced. “I have no problem with the verdict; I have my appeals.”

Krapf, who did not testify, sat throughout the trial with a service dog in his lap. He maintains he has long suffered from mental illness.

The defense argued missing video from police cars and audio from the incident could have painted a different picture of the incident.

Maknoon suggested Krapf was en route to seek help for a mental health emergency when he was stopped by police. He argued the troopers used excessive force to take him into custody.

“Is this compliance, or is this abusive? He was getting attacked at three different locations,” Maknoon argued. “They were whaling on him. The facts of this case don’t support resisting arrest. They support resisting accountability.”