LOCKPORT — A Woodward Township police officer is currently under investigation following the alleged killing of a dog.

Officer Gregory Drollinger allegedly shot and killed one of two dogs belonging to Jada Harpster after a traffic stop around 4 p.m. on June 23, in the township.

The rumors of the incident have spread like wildfire through Woodward Township. Dozens of township residents attended a special supervisors’ meeting Tuesday evening at the township building. The special meeting was for open road and pavilion bids as well as a decision on the Keystone Security door locks for the Riverview bathrooms. The meeting was co-opted by questions regarding Drollinger and the dog. Jada, her family and supporters were in attendance to give their story of what happened.

According to Jada, the incident took place following a traffic stop. She was pulled over along Church Street near the Dunnstown MinitMart. During the stop, Jada said she contacted her sister and mother regarding the incident. She was allegedly pulled over for a warrant out of Centre County for unpaid fines.

“We ended up getting a phone call that she was pulled over in Dunnstown. She asked me if I could go over and see what was going on,” Jada’s sister, Octavia Harpster, said during the meeting. “Me and my mom both pulled in front of her and the officer… He’s telling her that she has warrants in Centre County for unpaid fines.”

Jada was then placed under arrest. During the arrest, Drollinger did not read her the Miranda Rights, according to the Harpsters.

“When he first came up to my window, he didn’t ask me ‘do you know why I stopped you?’ He didn’t read me my Miranda Rights,” Jada said.

She was then handcuffed and put in his car. As she was sitting in the back of the police vehicle, Drollinger was making comments about shooting her dogs.

“I was in the back of the cop car and he was standing there, going on about my neighbor having every right to shoot my dog if it went on his property… I was like ‘why are you talking about my dogs right now? I am being pulled over for a traffic stop, the dogs weren’t involved, so why are you bringing up this stuff about shooting my dogs at that time,'” she said.

Drollinger also allegedly asked Jada for information regarding her dogs — where they got their shots, how old they were and other information, according to her.

Jada was transported to the Clinton County Correctional Facility and then taken to Centre County off the warrant. Her boyfriend then came to get her from jail, leaving her dogs in their house. She said no one was home during this period. The Harpsters said the door was shut and there was no way for the dogs to get out.

During this period, the dog was shot and killed in front of Jada’s residence. A report was not made until after the dog was shot.

“There was no report or anything for an officer to be anywhere near her house, because it happened on Church Street over by the MinitMart in Dunnstown. The report was made after the dog was shot and dead,” Octavia said.

Jada and her boyfriend did not get back home until around 10 p.m. They came home with no dogs anywhere. Jada said she received no calls regarding the death of her dog.

“I come home. He didn’t get a phone call, the cop had all my information. I received no phone call stating he killed my dog. I had to get on Facebook to see my dog was dead. There was a card in my door from the officer,” she said.

The letter said “Call me about your dog.” Jada tried calling the number; however, nobody answered. She said she received no request for rabies information as well.

“They were saying the dog was attacking the neighbor. Then why was my dog dead in front of my house…. I didn’t get a call from the dog warden. I didn’t get a call from the SPCA, nothing,” Jada exclaimed.

According to the Harpster family, she was a “blessed dog” and not aggressive in any way.

“She never once growled or anything,” Octavia said.

The dog was a rescue from the SPCA. She was 5-years-old.

“I made a deal with my daughter that if she could say puppy then we’d buy her a puppy…We got her and they were best friends,” she said. “The SPCA people knew she was the most loving dog ever.”

Jada’s dogs have run loose previously and she said nobody ever reported them for being aggressive.

Prior to the incident on June 23, Jada said she and her boyfriend were in contact with Drollinger. Allegedly one night, her boyfriend’s mom was dropping off something and was questioned by Drollinger.

“I don’t know why but my boyfriend’s mom had stopped there one night to drop something off. The minute she pulled in, he was already stopping her, asking why she was pulling in because she didn’t pull into my driveway, she pulled off to the side of the road at the bottom of my driveway. He was asking her if she had a parking permit,” she said.

Another incident took place when Drollinger allegedly came to Jada’s house another time.

“He was talking with my boyfriend. You could tell (Drollinger) was angry and kept trying to pick a fight. He responded with ‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ turned himself around and walked away and then said ‘this is your warning,’ and got into his car and left. He was writing down my boyfriend’s license plate number and my license plate number before he backed down my driveway,” she explained.

Drollinger is under investigation by the Woodward Township Police Department. However, due to personnel matters, township supervisors were unable to comment about the incident.

“The incident is under investigation by our police department currently. We are not going to make any statements or comments or answer any questions from the public or the media until the investigation is complete,” supervisor Kyle Coleman said.

Drollinger was wearing a body cam and there is footage, according to supervisors.

Supervisors did not state an official timedate when Drollinger was employed by the township. He was hired from a recommendation of Police Chief Stephen Falotico.

“Supervisors vote in a public meeting on the official hiring, recommended by the chief… Once he does his background investigation, psychologicals, all the steps that go into becoming a police officer,” Coleman said.

Drollinger is currently employed part-time with Woodward Township. He is also a part-time officer for Renovo Borough.

Drollinger previously had a protection from abuse order out for him following abuse of his ex-wife and five children in December of 2020 when he lived with them in Watsontown in Lycoming County, according to Northumberland County Court records. He was accused of hitting his daughter, pulling her hair and throwing a five-gallon bucket full of water on her bed, according to the petition.

“Greg is very controlling, he is extremely emotionally and mentally abusive towards me and the children. Spending time in the house with him is so unbearable that I sit in my car for hours everyday,” Drollinger’s wife wrote then.

According to the petition, Drollinger’s wife also claimed he threw her down on the bed and “had his knee in my back and tried to pull my hands behind my back. He has thrown things at me, hitting me in the back as I was leaving the room.”

During this time, Drollinger was an officer in charge at the New Berlin Police Department. He also worked part-time with the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office DUI Center as a Special Detective. Public records show the court hearing from the petition was continued; however, no records detail the resolution of the hearing.

Drollinger has worked for multiple other police agencies including a police chief position in Montgomery Borough and patrol positions in Watsontown. He quickly resigned from his Montgomery Borough Police Chief position after two months in August of 2013. Drollinger claimed that the resignation was due to “many discrepancies” in his official description of duties to be performed as the chief, according to an Aug. 31, 2013 report by the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. He added that the department had several procedures that changed internally after he accepted the position, according to the report. Drollinger continued to claim people outside the police department were trying to do things their way instead of using proper procedures.

Attendees during the meeting questioned how an officer with a PFA was able to get a job there.

Coleman told everyone to talk with them when the report is issued.

“I hope every one of you that is here tonight, when we have a meeting and there is a report issued on all of this, I hope you’re here to listen to it,” he said.

Drollinger is still currently working as a police officer in the township with no suspension, according to supervisors. A follow-up on this incident will be released pending the investigation’s conclusion.

“If our officer has violated anything, the proper actions will be taken,” Coleman said.