The irony didn’t escape Police Sgt. Jeff Pelkey, who is also a pastor, when a cross was used as a weapon against him during a brutal domestic violence situation.
Pelkey, a local pastor and chaplain to area first responders, was seriously injured and sidelined for two months from the South Berwick police force earlier this year. The attack nearly ended his tenure as the town’s longest serving police officer.
One evening in May, a woman concerned about a domestic disturbance in her Woodland Hills neighborhood called police. Pelkey was on duty and took the call. He knew the alleged offender from previous encounters and called for backup to join him at the residence.
When the two officers arrived, an enraged 53-year-old male resident was “grabbing his female partner by the throat,” Pelkey recalled in an interview last week.
As the officers moved in to stop the assault, the perpetrator picked up a “heavy and sharp four-foot oak cross” and threw it at them, just missing both. In turn, Pelkey and his partner tased the man, who continued to attack the officers, throwing Pelkey to the floor and kicking him repeatedly.
“He threw me to the ground, and donkey-kicked me backward, broke my ribs and bruised my kidneys,” Pelkey said.
Additional backup arrived, including police from South Berwick, Berwick and Eliot who arrested the man and called an ambulance for Pelkey. The female resident and Pelkey’s partner did not require medical attention.
Pelkey’s wife, Julie, an emergency room nurse, was on duty when he arrived at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover. She was surprised, worried and “angry” when he told her he did not want to stay after being examined.
“Julie was working when I was wheeled in, and she was not happy when I told her I wanted to go home,” he said. “There’s really not much they can do with broken ribs.”
Pelkey spent part of the night in the ER before the hospital agreed to discharge him. “I knew I had an RN at home to take care of me,” he said.
While he was there, his room filled up with concerned visitors, including the South Berwick police chief, lieutenant and the town manager.
“It was late in the evening, and I was impressed how supportive they all were,” he said.
The alleged perpetrator was indicted in late August on felony assault of a police officer and several other charges. He is currently incarcerated while awaiting trial.
“It can take some time for a trial date unless he pleads guilty,” Pelkey said. “If he is released, I will be notified since I am the victim.”
Pelkey, 56, has returned to duty and was recently able to complete a 5k run.
“I was out of work for quite a while but feeling good now,” he said last week.
A veteran of public service, Pelkey was only 15 and a student at Marshwood High School when he became the youngest Emergency Medical Services medic in Maine. (The state later changed the regulations.)
After graduating in 1987, he joined the York County Sheriff’s Department where he met Julie Reed, who served with him before beginning her nursing career. Pelkey moved on as a patrol officer in Eliot and Berwick before joining the South Berwick police force 27 years ago.
In addition to being a law enforcement officer in South Berwick, Pelkey is a Kittery firefighter, operates two funeral homes with his wife and son Justin, and is pastor of the First Congregational Church in North Berwick.
Pelkey also serves as chaplain to 600 police and fire personnel in Portsmouth, Newington and South Berwick, sitting with them once a year to discuss their spiritual health.
“If an employee has a problem, I can be called in to help,” he said. “I’m not a clinician but I call myself a conduit to care. Some people just need to share, and we can connect them to other services.”
Pelkey believes a town needs three things to be successful: strong leadership, an understanding citizenry, and well-organized police and fire departments.
“South Berwick has all three factors,” he said. “It’s a breath of fresh air compared to other communities recruiting police officers. The chief, lieutenant and all department members are great and supportive, and the new police building is a real draw.”
Why does he continue to serve? “I think I still have a lot to contribute, years of experience and training on new tactics,” Pelkey said. ”I’m proud of what we do and love what I do.”
