May 1–8, 1997

hit and run

Seven The Hard Way

Channel 7 operator Jerry Leazer is spitting mad.

On Tuesday, April 22, he was descending the steps of the Delaware County Courthouse steps when former Channel 7 employee Jim Davis allegedly assaulted and spat on him and his attorney, Sean Halpin.

"As I came out of the courthouse, [Davis] crept into my face, trying to start a fight," recalls Leazer, "and screamed, 'You loser!' and 'Why don't you hit me?'" Davis also pushed Leazer around, says Halpin.

Around this time last year, Leazer says he fired Davis, who claims Leazer disparaged his reputation. Last summer, Davis testified against Leazer in an ongoing case between the station's owners, R.J. Caponigro and Walter Moxley. In his suit, Caponigrocharges that Moxley unlawfully pushed him out of his job as general manager of Channel 7 and says Leazer is unfit to run the local low-power television station. On the stand, Davis attempted to prove that Leazer was a sleazy operator by claiming thathe broadcast copyrighted videos. Leazer says that the R&B and rap music videos broadcast on the station are legally obtained.

Davis, currently a student at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, was at the courthouse out of curiosity to see if there was going to be a settlement in the case between the owners of Channel 7. All of the owners agree that the television stationshould be sold, but it's up to the court to decide whether or not Leazer has a valid contract which gives him the right of first refusal on the sale.

Barbara Scarlatta, Moxley's attorney, says she's gotten an offer of $1.2 million from a potential buyer, but nothing from Leazer.

"This court case is moving along at a snail's pace," she adds. "You could call me back in 10 years and this will probably still be going on."

As for the incident on the steps, Davis says, "Nothing happened."

Still, detective James Cadden and officer Diane Spalding of the Delaware County Courthouse Police Department were called to the scene and arrested Davis. Cadden says Davis started trouble with the arresting officers while in custody.

"Davis was pinching [Spalding's] hands between the handcuffs and caused a laceration on her hands," says Cadden. Later, Davis tried to kick Spalding and had to be wrestled to the ground, he adds.

Davis is currently charged with two counts of assault and intimidating a witness for the incident with Leazer and Halpin, and resisting arrest and assaulting an officer for the trouble that occurred with Cadden and Spalding. In 1991, the suspect wasconvicted of harassment by communications and ethnic intimidation and received three years probation for it.

"Davis is one real idiot," surmises the detective.

Attorney Jeffrey Ogren, who represents Caponigro, was walking along with Davis after he was taken into custody and says the use of force by the officers to restrain the suspect was unnecessarily strong. Officer Spalding was pulling down on thehandcuffs while they were walking and Davis was complaining, recalls Ogren. Then when they entered the park police station, Cadden jabbed his knee into Davis' side, forced him down on the linoleum floor and ordered Ogren out of the room.

Cadden counters that Davis was taunting the officers and trying to provoke a fight. The cuffs were actually looser than they should have been, says Cadden, and Davis was tackled only after he tried to kick Officer Spalding.

Leazer charges Caponigro and Ogren with putting Davis up to the intimidation. Caponigro says he was down the street when the incident occurred between Leazer and Davis and only remembers the suspect from the testimony he gave last summer. "Butif Leazer got spit in the face," he adds, "he probably deserves it."

—Neil Gladstone