Former Police Chief John Berger

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A former police chief is accused of using his position to obtain narcotics from an alleged dealer during an ongoing drug investigation in Westmoreland County, District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced on Friday, Dec. 5.

John Berger, 53, and Michael D. Hootman, 42, both of Ligonier, were charged after a presentment before the county’s grand jury, which has been reviewing several serious crimes, according to the release issued Friday.

Evidence and testimony presented to the grand jury detailed a mutual relationship between the men, who investigators say were tied through drug trafficking activities. Berger served as chief of the Ligonier Valley Police Department from 2019 until May 2023.

Several witnesses told the grand jury that Hootman supplied them with narcotics, including marijuana, cocaine, and pharmaceuticals, authorities said. Text messages also showed Berger began receiving prescription pain pills from Hootman as early as January 2021, sometimes picking them up while he was on duty as police chief, according to prosecutors.

"It went from focusing on trying to make an arrest of a person that we believed to be a drug dealer, and then how that spiderwebs out and where is that person getting the drugs and things of that nature, to now we have to focus and worry about the person that is leading a police department and protecting the community," said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani. 

State police began surveillance on Hootman’s Ligonier Township home in April and May of 2023. Troopers observed Berger arriving in his unmarked police cruiser and making an exchange at his vehicle. Messages indicated the meetings were arranged for Berger to obtain pain medication, investigators said.

Police also watched several people arrive at Hootman’s home for short visits consistent with narcotics sales. A search warrant later executed on his residence turned up cocaine, marijuana, testosterone, and prescription pills, the DA said.

"Unfortunately, he was taking advantage of the fact that the drug take-back boxes were there, and going into the drug take-back box and looking for mostly prescription pills, things of that nature that were narcotic," Limani said. 

A second warrant on Berger’s police vehicle uncovered discarded prescriptions that did not belong to him. Investigators believe the pills were taken from the police station’s Drug Take Back box, according to the release.

"There's no one that's more disgusted when a police officer does something against the community, commits a crime, than the guys and girls that wear the uniforms that we wear, no matter what color, it's blue, gray, it doesn't matter. It's awful, it's embarrassing, but we're also not going to hide from it," Limani said. 

At no time did Berger launch a drug investigation into Hootman or arrest him, despite witnessing drug activity while he was police chief, officials said.

Berger is charged with bribery, theft, obstruction of administration of law, criminal use of a communication facility, delivery of a controlled substance, acquisition of a controlled substance by misrepresentation, and receipt of a controlled substance. Hootman is charged with bribery and narcotics offenses related to trafficking.

Both men turned themselves in on Friday and were placed in the Westmoreland County Prison after their arraignments before District Judge Allison Thiel. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Dec. 19.

Berger was fired as chief on May 9, 2023, five days after law enforcement raided the police station and seized his personal phone and police vehicle.

He is also awaiting trial on separate sexual assault charges from an April 2024 incident at an addiction treatment facility in Donegal Township, where he was working as a behavioral health technician. Prosecutors say consent is not a defense in institutional sexual assault cases. His trial is scheduled for April.