By Alan Burdziak

A 26-year-old Jefferson City man has sued the city of Columbia and two police officers, alleging that the officers unlawfully arrested him outside a bar in July 2014 and used excessive force in detaining him.

Jordan R. Pfenenger is asking for unspecified damages against the city and two officers, Lori Simpson and Patrick Corcoran, attorney fees and for the court to issue several orders, including one for the Columbia Police Department “to adopt appropriate policies related to the hiring and supervision of its police officers and the use of force by said police officers,” according to the complaint. The lawsuit was filed July 8 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

A 26-year-old Jefferson City man has sued the city of Columbia and two police officers, alleging that the officers unlawfully arrested him outside a bar in July 2014 and used excessive force in detaining him.

Jordan R. Pfenenger is asking for unspecified damages against the city and two officers, Lori Simpson and Patrick Corcoran, attorney fees and for the court to issue several orders, including one for the Columbia Police Department “to adopt appropriate policies related to the hiring and supervision of its police officers and the use of force by said police officers,” according to the complaint. The lawsuit was filed July 8 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Pfenenger was standing on the sidewalk outside Willie’s Pub and Pool, 1109 E. Broadway, on July 10, 2014, when Simpson told him to leave or he would be arrested. After Pfenenger called her a lesbian, the lawsuit alleges, she began to arrest him and “without sufficient provocation” pinned one of his arms behind his back. While assisting Simpson, Corcoran pushed Pfenenger to the ground when he began to turn around, according to the lawsuit.

When he fell, Pfenenger hit his head on the sidewalk, knocking him out and cutting a spot above his left eyebrow. The officers handcuffed him and left him in a pool of blood as they waited for an ambulance to arrive, according to the complaint. Pfenenger was taken to University Hospital, where he was treated before he was arrested.

A prosecutor charged Pfenenger with third-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, misdemeanor resisting arrest and trespassing. The charges were dropped in December 2015.

The seven-count complaint includes allegations of excessive force, unlawful imprisonment, malicious prosecution and failure on the city’s part to properly train, supervise and discipline the officers.

Pfenenger, according to the complaint, did not break any laws and called the force the officers used “unreasonable and unnecessary.”

The Columbia Police Department’s use of force policy is broad and says officers should use “only that amount of force that reasonably appears necessary given the facts and circumstances” at the time to “accomplish a legitimate law enforcement purpose.”

Joseph Bednar, Pfenenger’s lawyer, said Pfenenger has recovered from his injuries and that he did not file a complaint about the incident with the police department. Bednar, who is based in Jefferson City, declined to comment further.

Columbia City Counselor Nancy Thompson did not respond to a message before the Tribune’s deadline. There was no attorney listed for the city or the officers in online records.