Trial of man sentenced to 18 months in prison on bogus charges blocked by appeal court ruling

A ruling for a man wrongfully sentenced to more than 18 months by Harrisburg police was overthrown on Tuesday, sending the case back to district court where it will likely be dismissed.

The case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit focused on whether Harrisburg Detective Jacob Pierce was entitled to qualified immunity for a “malicious prosecution” claim.

The plaintiff, Jorge Rivera-Guadalupe, sued Pierce for malicious prosecution because Pierce had probable cause to arrest him for some, but not all, of the charges he filed in 2017 that led to on Rivera-Guadalupe to spend nearly 19 months in prison.