Former Ligonier Valley police chief will stand trial in drug case

Former Ligonier Valley Police Chief John Berger entered a not guilty plea on Friday for multiple felony charges relating to drugs.

In 2023, Pennsylvania State Police troopers were investigating and surveilling the home of a well-known Ligonier drug dealer, Michael Hootman, when they witnessed Berger stopping by the residence while on the job as chief and picking up prescription pills from Hootman.

Hootman, who was also in court on Friday and is now facing similar charges to Berger, admitted in court to being a drug dealer. He said that he had been supplying Berger with prescription pain medication like OxyContin and hydrocodone for years because Berger claimed to have severe back pain.

Hootman said there was never any money exchanged between the two, but that he later helped Berger win a citizenship award from the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post with a monetary prize. In court, the state pointed to a quid pro quo of free pills for the chief, so he would look the other way as Hootman sold cocaine.

When state police investigators raided the Ligonier Valley Police Department in May of 2023, they say they discovered 16 bottles and over 1,000 prescription pills in Berger's police vehicle that he allegedly took from drug take-back boxes in Ligonier. A fellow Ligonier officer even told state police that he witnessed the chief going through discarded prescription pills while the two were off duty.

Berger's attorney, Charles Porter, spoke with reporters after Friday's hearing.

"I think Mr. Hootman, for the most part, was pretty candid," said Porter. "He essentially acknowledged that my client and his relationship had nothing to do with Hootman's business. That my client didn't participate, didn't help, didn't assist, didn't aid, he didn't give him anything for it. So, the whole circumstantial case that the Commonwealth's trying to build was essentially destroyed by their own witness."

Now, Berger and Hootman are free on bond, and while there is no date set yet, this case will be heading to trial.