Federal lawsuit filed against Westover Police Department

WESTOVER, W.Va. – Westover Police Chief Richard Panico and officers Zachary Fesko and Aaron Dalton have been named as defendants in a federal lawsuit alleging they pulled a black man from his home and beat him on January 1, 2019.

Reports indicate Andre Howton called Westover Police to have a woman removed from his home because of her drug use.

The lawsuit says officers pulled Howton from his home striking him in the torso and face 13 times causing facial fractures and the loss of three teeth. The lawsuit also says Dalton encouraged Fesko to beat Howton and attacked a bystander that was coming to the aid of Howton.

Attorneys for Howton also claim Dalton was hired by Westover even though he had previously fired tasing and beating a man in handcuffs in another jurisdiction.

A link to the court filing is here.