Punched by York cop in viral video, woman gets probation for resisting arrest

A woman who got punched in the face by a York City police officer when she resisted arrest in an encounter that went viral after a short video of it was posted on Facebook will spend two years on probation.

Melissa Penn, 21, of York, pleaded guilty on Dec. 4 to resisting arrest and defiant trespass. She must spend the first three months of her probation on house arrest, according to court records.

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On July 3, 2017, York City Police Officer Galen Detweiler and another officer went to Pandora’s Box on East Market Street near Fulton Street at about 1:40 a.m. to check on the business near closing time.

Penn got kicked out of the bar after getting into a fight, but kept trying to get back in, police said. When Detweiler went to arrest her, he testified, she violently pulled away and screamed expletives at him.

Later, Penn kicked him in the chest and, at one point, put her hands around his neck, Detweiler testified. A 10-second video of the arrest has been viewed more than 99,500 times.

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The York City Police Department previously released a statement that said, in part, that “this video is a very short few seconds of what occurred and we have video from multiple sources.” Police asked people to “not draw conclusions regarding a small portion of the incident.”

Later, York City Police Chief Wes Kahley said the department believes that Detweiler “did everything that was necessary to protect himself.”

Prosecutors dropped a charge of aggravated assault as part of the plea agreement. Senior Judge John D. Kuhn presided over the case, according to court records.

Bill Graff, Penn’s attorney, said he never got a copy of the body camera video.

Penn could not be reached.

Contact Dylan Segelbaum at 717-771-2102.