Bristol Twp. Police Charge Philly Cop With Robbery, Theft & False Imprisonment

After an investigation by Bristol Township authorities, a Philadelphia Police Department officer has been charged with committing an alleged robbery.

Officer Michael Winkler, 36, of Levittown, was arraigned last Friday morning on two counts of felony robbery and two misdemeanor counts of theft, theft by extortion, receiving stolen property, false imprisonment and related offenses. District Judge Frank Peranteau Sr., a former police chief, let Winkler free on $200,000 unsecured bail last week.

“Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross has suspended Michael Winkler for thirty days with the intent to dismiss,” according to a statement from city authorities.

According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Bristol Township Detective Greg Beidler, Winkler called Bucks County 9-1-1 to request township officers for a possible Craiglist scam and business dispute in the 700 block of Newportville Road in Croydon. Upon arrival, two officers found two contractors, one seated in a Nissan Maxima and one on the ground nearby with change around him.

The two contractors told police they were hired by Winkler on May 3 to do work on his newly purchased home on Newportville Road. One of the contractors began the work for $600 cash and soon realized there was more work than initially agreed upon.

Before police arrived on May 5, Winkler allegedly called the contractor found by officers seated on the ground near the Maxima and requested he return to the Newportville Road home to renegotiate the price of the work. Winker then became angry with the man once he arrived and held his forearm to his neck, forced him to the ground and put his knee into his side. Winkler then told him he had to give him his money back, according to court papers.

The contractor told Winkler he put the money on his bank card. Winkler then demanded the contractor’s bank card and threatened to send him to jail if he didn’t turn the card over, police allege.

While holding down the contractor, Winkler allegedly said he was going to have a worker remove the money from the man’s account and then proceeded to go through the man’s pockets despite requests to call 9-1-1, court papers state.

The other contractor was seated in the Maxima during the incident and was confronted when Winkler went over to search the glove box of the car and had a construction manager search the vehicle’s trunk, police said.

Winkler then picked up a wallet from the car and removed the cash and the owner’s driver’s license. He then called his police supervisor and asked to be put on vacation status before dialing Bucks County 9-1-1, police said.

Philadelphia authorities said in a statement to LevittownNow.com that Winkler is accused of taking $38 during the robbery.

Beidler, who has worked in the Bristol Township Police Department for 27 years, wrote in the affidavit that Winkler told responding officers he was an on-duty police officer and wanted one of the contractors arrested for theft of services and fraud.

Police said Winkler, a 16-year Philadelphia police veteran assigned to the 16th District, drove a blue 2001 Ford Taurus detective car to his Newportville Road home for the alleged robbery.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.