Fired sergeant loses unemployment appeal

A fired police sergeant accused of punching an intoxicated man outside Heinz Field in 2015 lost an appeal in Commonwealth Court on Wednesday.

A panel of Commonwealth judges ruled that Stephen Matakovich is not eligible to receive unemployment benefits because he violated the policies and procedures of the Pittsburgh police and because his actions constituted “willful misconduct,” according to an opinion written by Senior Judge James Colins.

The opinion affirms an earlier decision by the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, which ruled the same way in July. Mr. Matakovich had appealed the board’s decision.

He was fired from the Pittsburgh Police Bureau after video surveillance showed him strike and shove Gabriel Despres, 20, of South Park, on Nov. 28, 2015.

Mr. Matakovich faces state and federal criminal charges in connection with the arrest, and is accused of lying about the incident in his official report.