Young female police chief faces off with Pa. state trooper, raising complaints about bias
By APSunday, May 23, 2010
Young female chief faces off with Pa. trooper
MOUNT JEWETT, Pa. — Nataliya Miroslavna has a reputation for writing lots of speeding tickets in the tiny northwestern Pennsylvania town of Mount Jewett.
But it’s a ticket the 26-year-old police chief was given by a state police trooper that has the town’s 1,070 residents buzzing.
Trooper Dale Vukovich Jr. ticketed Miroslavna for allegedly driving 51 mph in a 45 mph zone just outside town in November. Miroslavna says he falsely claimed she was speeding to repay her for rejecting his advances and because of complaints about his bullying.
Miroslavna lost when she challenged the ticket. But her complaints have still prompted an internal state police investigation — and debate about whether the small hamlet of Mount Jewett is ready for a young, female chief.
