State Constables Charged With Oppression At Mariner East Pipeline

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — A pair of Pennsylvania state constables have been arrested and charged after they were illegally employed by a contractor of Sunoco's to enforce private security at the highly controversial Mariner East pipeline in Chester County.

The constables, elected officials responsible for preserving the peace at polling places and making arrests in limited circumstances, identified themselves as law enforcement as they turned away the public from a pipeline drilling accident that occurred on a homeowner's property, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Michael Robel, 58, of Shamokin, a constable in Northumberland County, and Kareem Johnson, 47, a Coatesville resident and constable in Chester County, face numerous charges, including official oppression, Ethics Act violations, and bribery.

The pair came to the attention of law enforcement as "hired muscle" after one of the sinkhole incidents in West Whiteland Township, back in January.

The case centers on the area of Lisa Drive, which has suffered multiple sinkholes and is the exact area which State Sen. Andy Dinniman warned the Public Utility Commission about last year as being unstable. Early reports from residents that state constables were trying to keep the public away were originally dismissed by law enforcement, because they had not authorized any constables to patrol the area.

On Jan. 21, a plainclothes detective investigating the situation parked in a public parking area on Lisa Drive in West Whiteland, the DA said.

While there, Robel approached the detective, identified himself as a state constable, and told Robel that he could not remain parked in that area. Robel was wearing his patrol style duty belt with a firearm, and was displaying his Pennsylvania state constable badge.

In another incident that occurred back in June 2018, journalist Daniel Zegart was parked in the same area, writing notes for a story, when he was photographed by a pipeline worker, the DA said.

He later took a video of an encounter he had with a constable that turned out to be Kareem Johnson. In the video, Johnson orders Zegart not to step off of the street toward the construction area.

Further investigation revealed that a Harrisburg-based security company, Raven Knights, had hired the pair to work security for Sunoco, according to the DA. Robel was paid $27,995 and Johnson was paid $36,785. Both failed to report the income on their Statement of Financial Interests form, which is a violation of the Pennsylvania Ethics Act.

Sunoco was adamant that the pair were not employed by Sunoco or partnership owner Energy Transfer directly, but rather through Raven Knights.

"We have a code of conduct for all of contractors and third party vendors that clearly states what are acceptable behaviors and business practices, and we expect our contractors and their employees to adhere to that," a spokesperson for Energy Transfer told Patch via email Thursday. "Beyond that I will decline to comment."

It's just the latest in a series of controversies that have embroiled Sunoco and the Mariner East pipelines in Chester County and southeastern Pennsylvania. Sunoco is already the subject of a criminal investigation in the county for their handling of various safety issues. And authorities are looking into a resounding "boom" off Boot Road in West Goshen that occurred just this past Monday, Aug. 5. It reportedly involved a "backfire" of drilling equipment, but details remain scarce.

Through it all, many residents are left wondering how Sunoco is still operating in spite of all the highly publicized incidents. Dinniman, a leader in the movement for greater oversight and transparency for Sunoco, has blamed the state's regulatory process as a whole. He called the latest boom "yet another example of the lack of communication regarding Mariner East and the ongoing confusion as to who is in charge of emergency planning."

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the body which regulates pipeline activity in the state, had retained criminal defense lawyers during the course of the DA's Office's investigation into the constables. Hogan said the DEP insisted all communications with prosecutors go through them, and called their handling of the situation "troubling."

"In almost 30 years working in the criminal justice system, I have never seen a state or federal agency retain criminal defense lawyers to communicate with the prosecutors that the agencies were supposed to be helping," Hogan said. "It raises questions for the public about what exactly is going on with the Mariner East Pipeline and Pennsylvania's government."

Both Johnson and Robel surrendered to police, and bail was set at $25,000. Preliminary hearings are set for Aug. 29.

See our latest coverage of the Mariner East saga in Chester County below:

• Sunoco's Armed Guards Turn Back Public At Pipeline Sinkhole: DA
• New Sinkhole Opens Up Along Mariner East 1 In Chester County
• Pipeline Worker's Comments To Chester Co. Resident Investigated
• New Legislation Aims To Improve Pipeline Safety Near Schools
• Criminal Investigation Opened Into Sunoco, Chester Co. Pipelines
• Funded By Sunoco Fine, Chesco Gets $1.8 Million For Conservation
• Sunoco Fined $12.6 Million For Mariner East 2 Violations
• Battle Against Sunoco Pipeline Is David v. Goliath, Lawmaker Says