Sugarcreek Police Captain Brian Dalton is back on full duty after passing medical and psychological exams and an internal review of video footage from a June 22nd incident in which he fatally shot a truck driver after the driver stabbed him. This photo was taken last July when Dalton was promoted to captain. (Sugarcreek Police Captain)  

SUGARCREEK (Tusco TV) - The Sugarcreek Police captain who fatally shot a truck driver after the driver stabbed him is back on patrol following an internal review by the village’s safety committee.  

Chief Kevin Kaser says Captain Brian Dalton spent a week performing light-duty tasks before being cleared to return to full duty on July 15th. Kaser says Dalton passed the required medical and psychological exams, along with an internal review of dash and bodycam footage from his June 26th encounter with 32-year-old Elijah Collins III of North Carolina outside TMK Farm Service. 

“The safety committee reviewed the policy and procedure and use of force, use of deadly force, and watched the video and they were all in agreement that he was within compliance of all of our policies and procedures and that he didn’t violate any policies, so he was cleared to go back to work,” he says.

The same footage was publicly released two days after the incident. It showed Collins leap from the cab of his truck stab Dalton in the neck multiple times with a screwdriver before Dalton shot and killed him. Kaser says Dalton has made a full recovery. 

“He seems to be himself. I mean, it was like he never left. Medically, physically, he’s good. There wasn’t any major trauma that is going to slow him down physically or anything like that or mentally,” he says. “It’s just good to have him back, and we had tons of support. We appreciate that, and he had tons of support.”

Ohio BCI is handling the criminal investigation into the incident. Kaser says once the autopsy results come back, the agency will submit a report to the Tuscarawas County Prosecutor’s Office for review. He expects that will be sometime in late November or December.

TUSCO TV