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Police: Bucks County Officer Accused Of Lying About Shooting

By Elizabeth Hur

CHALFONT, Pa. (CBS) -- A Chalfont (Bucks County) police officer now stands accused of lying about being shot on the job.

Thirty-year-old Jon Cousin, who joined the Chalfont Police Department about three and a half years ago, initially reported that he was shot early Monday morning on Westview Avenue, near the Lenape Valley Swim Club (see previous story).

Late Tuesday, Eyewitness News obtained the dramatic radio call from Guncrisis.org: "Hit in the chest. I think my vest stopped it. Get a medic here please."

Cousin began the call, claiming he had just made a traffic stop: "Suspicious vehicle. No tags displayed. 3 or 4 occupants. Get back in the vehicle!"

The 30-year-old initially told authorities it happened when he was out on routine patrol and he saw a suspicious vehicle. He went onto claim, he went to investigate and that's when someone from inside the car shot him in the chest.

Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler told reporters, "That shooting was unfortunately a hoax perpetrated by the officer."

The officer also told authorities, the bullet proof vest he was wearing saved his life. Investigators now say that, too, was fabricated.

"It would certainly leave you with a substantial bruise. That wasn't the case, so we would surmise that he set the vest up in some way on a hanger or over something and fired into it. I think that the all of the evidence would suggest that he did this at some remote location at another time," Heckler went onto explain, "Once we retrieved the vest and had the slug still embedded in the vest analyzed was found to be a .380 which tends to be a round chambered in an automatic weapon. We determined that the officer was the owner of the .380 Ruger pistol and when requested, he voluntarily turned that over to us."

No one answered the door at Cousin's home Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, Eyewitness News obtained exclusive video of Cousin accepting deliveries of care packages at his home. Cousin even told Eyewitness News Reporter Jericka Duncan off camera that he wanted to thank the community for their support.

Chalfont Police Chief Frank Campbell responded, "I am very frustrated at this time. That's all the comment I can make at this time."

We are told Cousin is married with four young children, including triplets born less than two months ago.

His motive remains under investigation and authorities say he will undergo a psychiatric evaluation and the District Attorney's office will request that Cousin be ordered to reimburse the county for costs incurred searching for the alleged suspects and vehicle involved in the fabricated shooting.

Tuesday night, authorities say now former-officer Cousin was taken into custody to be arraigned on charges of creating False Alarms to Agencies of Public Safety, filing False Reports to Law Enforcement, Disorderly Conduct, Official Oppression, Possessing Instrument of Crime and Recklessly Endangering Another Person.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of 22 years in prison.

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