Credit: Bucks County District Attorney’s Office
A fired Philadelphia Police Department detective pleaded guilty to taking money and roughing up a contractor in Bristol Township while on duty.
Michael Winkler, 36, of Levittown, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Bucks County President Judge Jeffrey Finley to one count of theft and three counts of disorderly conduct in connection to the May 2016 incident that happened at a property on Newportville Road in Croydon, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said.
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The plea Winkler entered includes a five-year probation sentence and a no contact order between Winkler and the victim.
Court papers lay out the crime and state Winkler knocked down a man he hired on Craigslist to clean up a property on Newportville Road and took the victim’s identification and $38 in cash. In addition, Winkler reportedly threatened to lock the victim up.
The incident started after the victim contacted Winkler after he realized there was more work than covered by the $600 initially agreed upon payment.
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Winkler drove his city-owned 2001 Ford Taurus detective car to the Newportville Road property while on duty to confront the contractor, authorities said.
Police said they were initially called to the scene after Winkler called 9-1-1 to report a possible Craigslist scam.
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Winkler was fired after Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Richard Ross has suspended Michael Winkler for thirty days with the intent to dismiss after charges were filed in Bristol Township.
“I’m doing what’s best for my family here today, and I think I’ll just leave it at that,” Winkler said this week in court.
