An expected public interaction between Brookhaven Borough Council President Terry Heller and Police Chief Michael Vice may not happen at Monday’s scheduled council meeting.
Vice announced on social media Thursday that he will has been removed from attending the public meetings by Heller and council.
This comes after Heller made accusations that he was being hunted by police after he was stopped by an officer late March 11 and forced to take a breathalyzer and then submit for a blood test on suspicion of driving under the influence.
No officials from the borough have addressed Heller’s accusations. The Pennsylvania courts portal shows no charges have yet been filed in the incident.
Heller said on Thursday that no decision had been made by council on whether Vice would attend the meeting, and he had no further comment.
Heller said of the March 11 incident that after having two beers over a three-hour period at a Chili’s he was stopped by a Brookhaven police officer who told him he ran a traffic light on Edgmont Avenue.
“I was hunted,” Heller said in an interview at the time. “I’ve got to get out ahead of it and tell the truth.”
According to Heller, after being stopped and questioned if he had consumed any alcohol — which he said yes to — he took a field-sobriety breathalyzer test, which came back well under the legal limit.
Heller said the officer who had stopped him recognized him immediately, and had been recently turned down for a raise.
After the question about being under the influence of drugs became an issue, Heller was handcuffed and taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center for a blood test, which he submitted to. His car was left in a Giant supermarket lot, where he was stopped.
Heller had also been questioning police spending by Vice at recent council meetings.
In an unrelated recent development in Brookhaven, an officer who has been unable to work for about a year and a half has sued the borough, council and Vice.
Richard Subers has sued, alleging that the borough has denied medical benefits he claims he is owed.
