A Carbon County couple has filed a federal lawsuit claiming they were assaulted by Bangor and Washington Township police officers during a confrontation in 2023.

The complaint, filed Aug. 20 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, names Northampton County, the Borough of Bangor, Bangor Police Department, Washington Township Police Department, Bangor Police Chief Kevin Jones, Officer Robert DeLeon of Bangor, Officer Daniel Dieter of Washington Township and 10 unidentified officers.

Jeffery Fehnel and Afrdita Krasniqi of Kunkletown are seeking more than $50,000 in damages on each count. They are represented by Philadelphia attorneys Michael T. van der Veen and Jerry A. Lindheim.

Festival dispute

The incident began July 29, 2023, when Bangor police were called after a disturbance near the annual festival held by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Roseto.

According to a criminal complaint, Fehnel was spotted across the borough line in Bangor, where officers said he was shouting at people outside a house on Third Avenue.

Police reported that Fehnel clashed with resident Dylan Roberts. They alleged Fehnel tried to continue the fight on Roberts’ porch after others pulled Roberts away.

Arrest described differently

According to the lawsuit, officers followed Fehnel and Krasniqi for roughly a block after the altercation.

“He verbally informed them he had a serious pre-existing back condition. Nevertheless, under the instruction of Police Chief Kevin Jones, Officer Robert DeLeon tased Jeffery Fehnel in the back. Jeffery Fehnel was then slammed to the ground with force,” the civil complaint states.

The filing says Fehnel’s back injury was aggravated and has left him unable to manage daily responsibilities without pain.

The criminal complaint portrays the arrest differently. Police wrote that Fehnel ignored orders to leave and resisted attempts to handcuff him.

Officers said they warned him a Taser would be used if he did not comply and ultimately used it to subdue him.

Allegations against Dieter

The lawsuit also centers on Krasniqi, who was nine months pregnant and holding the couple’s infant child. She attempted to record the arrest, the civil complaint says, when Officer Dieter “forcibly assaulted her, in an effort to prevent her from recording the incident.”

The filing alleges Jones condoned or approved of Dieter’s actions, which Krasniqi says left her in fear for her safety and that of her unborn child.

The lawsuit further notes Dieter’s employment history, claiming he “had a known history (of) excessive force and police brutality against other members of the community and has since been terminated from the Washington Township Police Department for his repeated misconduct, effective on or about July 24, 2024.”

It accuses the township and county of allowing him to continue serving despite that history.

Criminal charges and outcome

Following the incident, Fehnel was charged with causing a riot, resisting arrest and two counts of disorderly conduct. Those charges were dropped in a plea agreement.

In September 2024, Fehnel pleaded no contest to summary counts of public drunkenness and disorderly conduct related to making unreasonable noise.

Civil rights claims

The federal lawsuit includes multiple claims under civil rights law. Fehnel alleges excessive force, failure to train officers and a “state-created danger” when police continued to pursue him despite no threat.

Krasniqi makes similar claims, arguing she was assaulted while legally recording.

The filing also includes a Monell claim, which accuses Bangor and its police department of maintaining customs and practices that encouraged excessive force and ignored constitutional protections.

The case was first filed July 21 in Northampton County Court of Common Pleas before being transferred to federal court.

None of the defendants had filed a response to the complaint as of Tuesday morning.