District Attorney's Office Launches Investigation Into District Magistrate
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- As police zeroed in on the man they say killed Uber driver Christi Spicuzza, police say they were held up by a district magistrate.
Law enforcement says Mik Pappas ignored their request for an arrest warrant and left it for the next magistrate to handle. KDKA-TV's Andy Sheehan has learned investigators are looking into more incidents.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office has launched its own investigation into the actions of the district justice, who is already being looked at by the court administration.
Earlier this week, KDKA Investigator Andy Sheehan reported Pappas did not act on a request to sign an arrest warrant for murder suspect Calvin Crew, who is accused of killing Spicuzza. Last week, undercover detectives — ready to arrest Crew — had to wait hours for the next judge to sign the warrant.
The court administration and President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark are now reviewing Pappas' inaction on this warrant and another request for signature last week. But Pappas has also courted controversy in other decisions involving his refusal to set cash bail and declining to evict tenants for non-payment of rent.
And on Friday, in a statement, the district attorney's office confirmed it is looking at "additional issues" involving Pappas.
"This individual is employed by the courts and the courts have a standing obligation to review complaints concerning how a judge discharges his or her official duties. That said, our office is looking at additional issues concerning this individual," the statement said.
Pappas has declined requests for comment, but he took to Twitter this week to say he would always take action on a "time-sensitive" homicide warrant.
