CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Chambersburg Police Officer Jacob Brown-Schields is facing multiple criminal charges after allegedly assaulting his teenage daughter and stealing her cell phone during a confrontation more than a year ago, according to court records.
Detectives in Lycoming County charged Brown-Schields, 35, this week with theft, receiving stolen property, disorderly conduct and harassment in connection with the Jan. 7, 2025, incident.
An affidavit states that Brown-Schields arrived at a business in Williamsport demanding his daughter’s phone. The girl, who told investigators she had been estranged from her father for about a year, reportedly hid the device inside her pants to keep him from taking it.
When she refused to hand it over, investigators say Brown-Schields used a pair of kitchen tongs to retrieve the phone—allegedly throwing his daughter to the ground, holding her upside down and reaching into her pants with the tool. The girl later told police she was left bruised and humiliated by the encounter.
According to the affidavit, Brown-Schields left with the phone and has not returned it. The device, valued at about $700, was reportedly a gift from the girl’s boyfriend.
Brown-Schields, a member of the Chambersburg-based Troop H of the Pennsylvania State Police since 2019, has been suspended without pay while the case proceeds. State payroll data lists his annual salary at roughly $110,000.
He was arraigned Wednesday in Williamsport and released on $20,000 unsecured bail. His attorney, Kyle W. Rude, declined to comment.
Court documents indicate it is unclear why charges were not filed until more than a year after the incident.
The girl told investigators she had gone to her father’s home several times trying to retrieve her phone before receiving a notice warning her not to return. She was living temporarily with an aunt at the time, according to police, and had been seeking permission from authorities to return to her mother’s care.
The Pennsylvania State Police policy manual lists arrests that “reflect poorly on the department” as disqualifying for employment, though it is unknown whether that provision applies to current officers.
