CHALFONT, Pa. -
You know that Chalfont police officer who said he was shot in the chest after making a traffic stop early Monday morning? It never even happened, according to a frustrated and baffled Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler.
"People do dopey things from time to time," Heckler said.
It was early Monday morning when Bucks County police officer Jon Cousin claimed he was shot by the operator of a car in the parking lot of the Lenape Valley Swimming & Tennis Club on Westview Avenue.
The D.A. says Officer Jon Cousin has been charged with numerous counts of filing false reports after originally calling in a report that he had been shot in the chest after pulling a suspicious vehicle over around 3:15 a.m. on Monday.
"The chief and I and a lot of other people in law enforcement got a call that you never want to get that a police officer has been shot and injured in the line of duty."
Police say the officer told radio dispatchers he was shot. He was then hospitalized and listed as stable condition. Investigators said his bullet proof vest saved his life.
Cousin also claimed he managed to fire back two rounds. But investigators found no blood on the ground. It was raining heavily at the time, and it was believed the water might have washed away any trace of a wound.
But Heckler says doctors and investigators found that Cousin, himself, wasn't hurt, and further investigation found that he was never shot.
In fact, Heckler says there wasn't even a traffic stop to begin with, just a series of false reports.
They now believe the officer fired his personal weapon into the vest before putting it on.
The question is why?
"This was very troublesome to us," Heckler said. "We're prosecuting this gentleman. He is in custody."
Cousin's boss, Chalfont Police Chief Frank Campbell, was a man of few words at Tuesday night's press conference. But his anger was quite clear.
"I'm very frustrated and disappointed," Campbell said.
The father of four, a former SEPTA police officer, remained in jail on Wednesday morning. The DA is insisting on a mental evaluation as a condition of his release.
FOX 29's David Kinchen has more details in this video report.
