Staff Reports
A disgraced St. Petersburg police officer behind a brutal arrest four years ago is now heading to court, facing accusations of excessive force.
In 2014, Kenneth Pienik, then an officer with the St. Petersburg Police Department, arrested 50-year-old Lithia resident Stephen Woodworth for DUI. At the time, Woodworth was an employee of Pop-A-Lock, an automotive locksmith service.
According to a suit filed Jan. 8, Woodworth claims Pienik slammed him to the ground, despite “no threat of physical resistance.” And despite remaining motionless and appearing unconscious, Woodworth claims he was tased.
As well as alleging Pienik used excessive force, the suit also accuses the officer of trying to hide video of the incident from investigators.
In August 2014, police had found Woodworth sleeping in his Pop-A-Lock vehicle in the parking lot outside St. Pete’s North Shore Aquatic Complex. When Woodworth allegedly refused to cooperate with a DUI investigation, police dashcam video had shown Pienik swearing, violently throwing Woodworth to the ground and then shooting a Taser at his prone body.
Police arrested Woodworth, charging him with DUI, resisting arrest without violence and carrying a concealed firearm without a permit. In the end, prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges, Woodworth says in the suit.
The Tampa Tribune reported that Pienik met with the Pinellas County State Attorney’s Office about Woodworth’s case. When an assistant state attorney asked for the video recording, Pienik said it had “no evidentiary value” and it was going to “disappear.”
The assistant state attorney then contacted Pienik’s supervisor, making an official request for the video.
Later, an internal investigation determined Pienik used excessive force on Woodworth. He was fired.
Now, four years after the arrest, Woodworth is filing suit against Pienik and the City of St. Petersburg.
Before the incident with Woodworth, Pienik made news at least twice for disciplinary problems. In 2013, the SPD suspended Pienik for 80 hours after he was accused of an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl in the department’s Explorer program.
