(4/25) One month after Liberty Township supervisors graciously accepted a donated helicopter for its police department, the same chopper is at the center of a federal lawsuit targeting one of its police sergeants.
In a complaint filed in the United States Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Bizzell Corporation claims Tripwire South LLC and Ryan Morris defrauded Bizzell Corporation out of $3.9 million. The suit alleges Bizzell Corporation paid Tripwire and Morris $3.9 million for explosives and accelerant powders that he failed to deliver.
Morris is a sergeant in the Liberty Township Police Department. The suit claims he used Bizzell’s money to "purchase multiple helicopters, real estate, numerous Rolexes, and otherwise enjoy a lavish, unearned lifestyle, during and after declaring personal bankruptcy.
"This guy’s a fraud," Morris told the Gettysburg Times. "This whole thing is all about a personal attack on me."
The suit also mentions Morris’ employees Michael Dickerson and Kenny Hassinger but does not accuse either of wrongdoing. Morris, Dickerson, and Hassinger, are also elected members of the Gettysburg Area School District Board of Education. Hassinger and Dickerson are president and vice president, respectively. Hassinger is also a senior patrolman with the Liberty Township Police Department, according to its website.
The suit notes Dickerson bragged to the media at a recent public relations event—where Tripwire gave local municipal and County officials free rides in the helicopter—that the MD500D helicopter is akin to a "Ferrari." It also states Morris has appeared in numerous news articles on the subject and indicated that he "expects" Liberty Township to help him seek federal grants to cover associated costs of the helicopters.
During a Liberty Township Board of Supervisors meeting in March, Morris said he met with Senator John Fetterman to discuss such grant possibilities. Liberty supervisors lauded Morris’ donation as a prime example of a public/private partnership.
Liberty Police Chief Terry DeWitt said the helicopter would primarily be used for search and rescue operations. During a recent incident at WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital, Pennsylvania State Police took about two hours to respond with its helicopter, DeWitt said.
The helicopter is one of several recent donations Tripwire has made to the Liberty Township Police Department. In February, DeWitt reported the business donated two mobile video recorder system with license plate readers. Last year, DeWitt said Tripwire donated rifles.
Read other articles about Fairfield
