Centre County DA’s office recognizes police officers for their ‘significant impact’

The Centre County District Attorney’s office recognized two local law enforcement officers Thursday for their efforts in helping to solve a homicide cold case and one of the worst crime sprees in Centre County.

The Centre County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award is given annually to a Centre County law enforcement officer in recognition of exceptional service to law enforcement. It’s not an easy task to narrow down the list, Megan McGoron, deputy District Attorney, said during Thursday’s award ceremony. Centre County’s law enforcement is full of men and women who are going above and beyond to ensure everyone lives in a safe community, and that justice is brought to the victim of crimes, she said.

The 2022 Centre County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award went to Detective Caleb Clouse of the Ferguson Township Police Department and Officer Macy Neideigh of the Bellefonte Police Department.

Finding answers

Clouse was nominated for his efforts in solving a cold case, the homicide of Jean Tuggy, a former school bus driver who was shot in her Pine Grove Mills home in 2016.

With fresh eyes on the case when he was assigned to it in 2019, Clouse found a small detail that perplexed him, Matt Metzger, assistant district attorney, said. He found an interview of one of Tuggy’s friends, who said Tuggy had a former coworker who had a romantic interest in her.

With that detail, Clouse identified the person as Christopher Kowalski. A forensic exam of Tuggy’s computer found Facebook conversations showing Kowalski had been to her home on prior occasions.

Clouse started focusing more on Kowalski and discovered he bought a 9mm handgun about a month before the murder and sold it months later. Clouse recovered the gun and a comparative analysis of a bullet shot from it to those found in Tuggy revealed “several shared characteristics including the caliber, the same rare type of rifling, and other unusual markings,” a press release from the district attorney’s office, states.

Clouse interviewed Kowalski in 2021 and built a rapport with him, Metzger said, and was eventually able to get a full confession of how Kowalski killed Tuggy.

The case went to trial in 2022 and in February Kowalski was found guilty but mentally ill of first-degree murder. He received a life sentence.

“Absent Detective Clouse’s diligent police work Kowalski would still be at large, and the community would still not have an answer as to who killed Jean Tuggy,” the release states.

Ferguson Police Chief John Petrick echoed that and offered his congratulations to Clouse.

“Detective Caleb Clouse is a reflection of the caliber of law enforcement in this community. People should be on notice — and I’m sure they are — that no crime will go uninvestigated, no stone will go unturned. I can’t say enough about Detective Clouse’s investigative skills,” Petrick said.

Putting the pieces together

Sean McGraw, first assistant District Attorney, said Bellefonte Police Officer Macy Neideigh’s attentiveness to detail during a mundane, routine traffic stop ended the “worst crime spree in recent Centre County history.”

Between June 2021 and January 2022, several serious, violent crimes, including car break-ins, armed burglaries and two armed robberies, occurred in Centre County. As the year went on, the level of violence increased, the release states.

McGraw listed the dates and crimes committed during the spree:

• Oct. 27, 2021: the Nittany Mall was forcibly burglarized

• Nov. 15, 2021: a 9mm bullet was fired into the doors of the South Atherton CVS and controlled substances were stolen

• Dec. 16, 2021: another 9mm bullet was fired into the doors of the South Atherton Rite-Aid and controlled substances were stolen

At this point McGraw said Centre County law enforcement realized the same person was behind these crimes, and that they were armed and likely very dangerous. All officers in Centre County were aware of the crimes. The atmosphere was tense and everyone was on edge, McGraw said.

The crime spree continued throughout January 2022, and included forcibly entering the Nittany Mall and firing a 9mm bullet into a showcase window and stealing money.

The suspect approached a man at the Super 8 Motel in State College, pointed a pistol at him, made him take his clothes off and then robbed him, McGraw said. He also fired a bullet into the doors of a North Atherton Rite Aid pharmacy and attempted to burglarize the pharmacy.

“This crime spree essentially culminated in a robbery on Jan. 8 (2022). The actor had used a fake profile on a dating website to lure a man to the Econo Lodge on Benner Pike. The fake profile featured a photograph of the actor’s girlfriend. When the male victim knocked on the agreed upon door, he was approached by the actor,” who was dressed in all black and wearing a black face mask, McGraw said. “The actor produced a pistol and pointed it at the victim, ordering him to place his wallet and phone on the ground, telling him he was going to shoot or kill him.”

The actor got away, but was caught on surveillance footage at the hotel. The photograph of this robbery, and the photograph of the female in the fake dating profile, was disseminated among Centre County law enforcement.

Later that month, Neideigh was on patrol in the Bellefonte Borough. During the early hours of Jan. 29, 2022, she stopped a dark blue Chevrolet Malibu for traffic violations and suspended registration.

During the traffic stop, Neideigh recognized the female driver as the woman from the fake dating profile and noticed characteristics of the male occupant consistent with the description of the suspect, the release states.

“In particular, she noticed the Nike logo on the sweatpants that he was wearing. That Nike logo had appeared — and was not very conspicuous — in the photo from surveillance footage of the robbery. Based on this information, an arrest was made and search warrants were obtained,” McGraw said.

Bellefonte Police Chief Shawn Weaver said Neideigh has an agenda everyday she comes to work: to do the very best for her community and citizens.

“She goes above and beyond in everything that she does, and is always looking to improve upon herself and willing to learn,” Weaver said. “Officer Neideigh epitomizes the term selfless service.”

The list of nominees also included Officer Lisa Larkin of Penn State police, Detective Lucas Nelson of the Spring Township Police Department, Detective Tom Snyder of the Patton Township Police Department and Criminal Investigator Andrew Stager of Penn State police. The work these individuals were acknowledged for include cases on homicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, robbery and cases involving mental illness.

“These individuals have had a significant impact on not only the law enforcement community, but also on the citizens of Centre County,” McGoron said. “Rather than running the other way, our law enforcement runs toward danger in order to keep our community and our citizens safe. I think it’s important that we highlight the incredible work that our law enforcement officers do every day, especially those that go above and beyond.”