A federal judge has ruled that Logan D. Malik, 26, of Lisbon, a former part-time Washingtonville police officer charged with impersonating a U.S. marshal, “was able to appreciate the consequences of his acts and that he was not insane at the time of the conduct.”

U.S. District Court Judge Bridget M. Brennan in Cleveland made the ruling at the end of a hearing this week. The judge set a date of May 18 to change his plea from not guilty to guilty, and set a final pretrial conference for May 24 and jury trial for June 5.

Boardman police charged Malik, then 25, last May with a misdemeanor charge of impersonating a police officer.

Officers were called to the Boardman Holiday Inn and Sheetz gas station, where witnesses said a man was claiming to be a U.S. marshal. Malik’s federal indictment alleges he claimed to be a marshal gathering information about a hate group. He was arrested April 24.

Washingtonville police Chief Kenneth Foust told The Vindicator that Malik worked as a part-time Washingtonville police officer for about four months and was “doing pretty good and always showing up for work.” Foust said he terminated Malik shortly after the Boardman incident.

When Malik was indicted federally in the case, the local charge was dismissed.

In December, Malik’s attorney asked for him to be evaluated by a psychologist or psychiatrist, saying Malik was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder in 2019 “due to being a first responder to a train accident.” He was prescribed with more than five anxiety medications over three years, the filing states.

At least two of the medications “caused Mr. Malik to have side effects, including a feeling of being ‘cut off’ and ’emotionless’ and having irritability,” the filing states. “After other failed attempts to adjust his medications, Mr. Malik was again prescribed the (two drugs) two weeks before” the April 24 incident resulting in the charges, because “it was the most productive way to treat his sudden onset of increased anxiety.”

The filing added that “Mr. Malik’s behavior on April 24, 2022, suggests that the prescribed medications were problematic and affected his mindset negatively. Mr. Malik was not mentally aware of the incident and does not remember anything about the incident until he was arrested and in a police vehicle.”

The filing added that the examination “is especially pertinent if Mr. Malik is potentially suffering from some type of mental defect or mental disease and / or side effects from his anxiety medications.”

TRAIN ACCIDENT

On Oct. 1, 2019, the Salem News reported that Sally B. Davies, 89, was killed when a train passing through Leetonia struck the car in which she was riding with her husband, Ronald Davies, 92, in late September 2019, and that Malik tried to save her but was unable.

Ronald Davies escaped from the vehicle but was injured when hit by the vehicle after the train struck it.

The story quotes Leetonia Police Chief Allen Haueter as saying that Malik helped Ronald Davies out of the vehicle and had gone to the passenger side to get Sally Davies out, but there wasn’t enough time. Malik got out of the way just before impact. A resident retrieved the couple’s dog before the collision.

At impact, Sally Davies was thrown from the vehicle. Malik and officer Alan Shafer rendered aid, but she died at the scene.

Leetonia fire and EMS transported Ronald Davies to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. Malik injured his right arm but was not hospitalized.

Malik had been sitting in his cruiser in the Family Dollar parking lot, nearing the end of his shift, when he saw the Davies vehicle stuck on the railroad tracks at 6:02 a.m. Haueter said the vehicle made it across the first set of tracks but apparently got stuck on the other set.