A former Pennsylvania state trooper who was forced to quit moonlighting as Ben Roethlisberger’s personal assistant for allegedly “demeaning the image of the department,” will become Chartiers Valley’s new security administrator next month.
The school board voted unanimously to appoint Edward Joyner, 52, to the newly created “administrator of safety and security / school police officer” position at a salary of $65,000 per year. He will start work on Aug. 15.
Joyner was a Pennsylvania State Trooper for 25 years. After retiring in January, he took a part-time job with the Sewickley police force.
From 2005 to 2010, Joyner also worked as a personal assistant for Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger.
Joyner’s name was thrust into national news in 2010 when he and another area police officer accompanied Roethlisberger to a Georgia nightclub, where the quarterback was accused of sexually assaulting a college student.
One bar patron told Georgia police that on the night of the alleged incident, Joyner would not say whether her friend was alone with Roethlisberger in a back room at the club.
Ann Marie Lubatti told police that she told the bodyguard, “This isn’t right. My friend is back there with Ben. She needs to come back right now.” Lubatti also said the man — whom Georgia investigators later identified as Joyner — wouldn’t look her in the eye and said he didn’t know what she was talking about.
Associated Press / NFL.com
After a month-long investigation and intense media scrutiny, the Ocmulgee, George district attorney declined to charge Roethlisberger, citing, in part, inconclusive medical exams and a victim who no longer wished to prosecute.
Shortly after the alleged incident, Pennsylvania State Police officials revoked Joyner’s permission to work for Roethlisberger, alleging that the state trooper exceeded the scope of his initial supplemental employment approval and that his actions “demeaned the image of the department.”
Joyner appealed that decision, but it was upheld by an arbitrator.
The state troopers’ union argued that department officials knew about scope of Joyners’ work and were fine with it until it fell under national scrutiny.
Chartiers Valley officials said that they are aware of Joyner’s previous employment history.
Superintendent Johannah Vanatta told the Tribune-Review that “his credentials, his experience, his demeanor and his focus on children is what put him ahead of anybody else that I could find out there. I think our students will respond well and enjoy having him in our buildings.”
At Chartiers Valley, Joyner will coordinate safety and security training for students and staff.