State Trooper Charged With Horse Fatality in Chester County

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — A state trooper has been charged with causing the death of a horse by driving a patrol car over the horse along U.S. Route 1 in Lower Oxford Township.

Cpl. Michael Perillo, 51, Warminster, is accused of causing the death of a horse that escaped from an Amish farm near the Lancaster County line.

He is free on $50,000 bail after being arraigned Friday before District Judge Scott Massey in the Chester County Justice Center. A preliminary hearing is scheduled next month.

Perillo was suspended without pay, pending resolution of the case.

Perillo, assigned to Troop J based in Avondale, responded to a report just before midnight on Dec. 28, 2021 to assist at an incident involving a loose horse on the roadway between Routes 10 and 472.

According to the complaint filed by state police Internal Affairs Division:

Perillo responded to call Dec. 28 to assist at an incident involving a loose horse on the roadway.

Upon arrival, Perillo drove a patrol vehicle into the horse multiple times, causing it to fall.

Using the vehicle, Perillo pinned the horse to the pavement, where it was then euthanized by another trooper.

The horse was on the shoulder of Route 1 and had already been struck by a motorist before troopers were dispatched.

Perillo, who enlisted in the state police in September 2006.
is assigned to Troop J in Avondale.