Jun 1, 2019 2 min read

A deputy constable for Washington’s Ward 8-1 was found not guilty Thursday in a nonjury trial in Allegheny County Court.

John William Miller III, 30, was acquitted Thursday of three misdemeanors – recklessly endangering another person, official oppression and conspiracy – by Judge Alexander Bicket.

Miller said Friday he acted in self-defense when another man “tried to run me over with a vehicle. I’m trying to clear my name.”

Miller was one of two constables charged in January 2018 by the Allegheny County district attorney’s office in connection with a 2017 incident in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood.

The incident began when the constables’ vehicle, which was stopped at a traffic light, was struck in the rear by another vehicle.

After the constables stopped their car, shots were fired, hitting the rear bumper of the other man’s car.

The constables told police they thought the other driver was attempting to run them over.

Charges against the other driver, including aggravated assault and drunken driving, were dismissed after he testified against the constables at a preliminary hearing. The other constable, Ronald J. Ciancione Jr., 37, of Pittsburgh, was acquitted of the same misdemeanors, but, according to an online docket, Bicket found him guilty of a summary charge, improper use of emergency lights, and ordered him to pay a $500 fine and summary court costs.

When the matter came to the attention of President Judge Katherine B. Emery, she suspended Miller from performing constable’s duties such as serving warrants, transporting prisoners or providing security, pending the outcome of the criminal case.

Miller was in the process of seeking reinstatement on Friday.