Dumpster diver sues Missouri cop, alleging excessive force

A St. Louis County man who says he sorts through trash bins to help feed the homeless is suing a Maplewood police sergeant over what he calls the use of excessive force in an early-morning arrest.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 35-year-old Timothy Peterka of Ballwin says in federal lawsuit filed in St. Louis that he suffered a sprained wrist, cracked ribs and a cut on his chin requiring 11 stitches when he was arrested after 1 a.m. in late February behind the Deer Creek shopping plaza on Laclede Station Road.

An attorney for the city of Maplewood says Sgt. Tony Cavanaugh acted properly. The lawsuit also accuses the city of failing to properly train its police officers and seeks unspecified financial damages.

This story was originally published June 19, 2014 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Dumpster diver sues Missouri cop, alleging excessive force."