The Tribune-Democrat
SOMERSET – Early Monday, toward the end of his shift, Officer Christopher Pile encountered the type of frightening situation he knew could come while responding to a domestic call, making a traffic stop or any of the other calls he answers daily while in uniform.
An auto theft suspect assaulted Pile in a struggle that ensued after the officer pulled him over, police said.
Pile said he eventually reached a stalemate: He was to subdue the suspect, but was unable to reach his handcuffs.
That’s when he noticed a shadow and heard an offer to help. A corrections officer, Jeff Keafer, happened to be driving past the traffic stop along Berlin Plank Road on his way to work at State Correctional Institution-Somerset. Keafer helped Pile complete the arrest, an act that police and prison officials said prevented what could have been a far worse outcome.
Pile, standing with his wife, Sheena, during a ceremony to honor Keafer’s actions, said he’s grateful. He has injuries that will heal, and he was able to return home to his family.
“I had angels out there,” he said.
His wife, who knew something was wrong after her husband didn’t return from work when he was supposed to – in time to take their two children to school – said the same.
“He was sent from above, a higher power,” she said.
The two also said that the officer’s father, the late veteran police Officer Clifford Pile, was watching over them.
During the ceremony, Keafer turned to Chris Pile and told him that Cliff Pile was one of his instructors at Johnstown Police Academy in the mid-1980s.
“We’re very thankful for whoever sent him,” Sheena Pile said.
Borough police Chief Randy Cox presented a commendation to Keafer at the prison on Thursday, and said the police department is in his debt.
Keafer’s actions highlighted community support for law enforcement officers and helped to connect two entities that don’t often get the chance.
“Sometimes, (police) don’t give you the credit you deserve,” Cox said. “I can say thank you, brother, on behalf of everyone in this room.”
Borough Mayor Scott Walker said Keafer “saved the day.”
“Most people run from danger,” Walker said. “This gentleman walked into danger to see what he could do to help.”
Pile said he thinks Keafer’s response came from his character, not just his profession.
“He’s just a good person,” he said.
“He would have done it the same way whether he was in uniform or in the supermarket.
“My family, my wife and my children thank you,” he told Keafer.
Pile was treated and released after the incident.
Police charged Robert Glenn Mitchell, 35, of Stoystown Road in Somerset, with stealing the vehicle and assaulting Pile.
Keafer said he was surprised at the community’s reaction, and didn’t know that hundreds had shared a letter from Cox to his supervisor, Superintendent Trevor Wingard, until Wingard pointed out the posts online.
Wingard said the incident brought people together in a positive way, beyond interactions between police and corrections officers that often center on handling or processing offenders.
“In this case law enforcement came together in the community,” he said.
Copyright 2016 The Tribune-Democrat