New Ken police eye more charges against man in YMCA assault on 3

New Kensington police plan to file more serious charges against a man suspected of assaulting three people at the Valley Points YMCA along Constitution Boulevard in late June, police Chief Bob Deringer said Friday.

Deringer said police initially charged Brian J. Rebold, 32, of New Kensington with misdemeanor counts of simple assault after the June 27 incident.

But Deringer said police did not know the severity of the injuries Rebold, allegedly inflicted, which included breaking a man’s arm and a woman’s eye socket.

That is going to result in the charges being amended to include felony counts of aggravated assault, he said.

Rebold was apprehended without incident along Constitution Boulevard not long after the incident, which was reported shortly after 7 p.m. that Wednesday night. Police filed charges on June 28, according to court records.

According to Deringer, Rebold was previously kicked out of the YMCA and told not to come back because he would stand in the back of workout classes and stare at people, making them feel uncomfortable.

That night, he went into a workout class and began yelling at the instructor, saying it was her fault he got kicked out and that he had gained weight. The instructor asked him to leave.

After Rebold left the room, he allegedly began assaulting random people, including an an employee, who he allegedly shoved down a flight of steps. He also allegedly assaulted an older woman and another man, punching both of them in the face and head a number of times.

All three required hospital care, Deringer said.

Rebold then fled out the entrance door, which he broke. Deringer said officers apprehended Rebold almost immediately after he left the YMCA.

In addition to three counts of simple assault, Rebold was also charged with defiant trespass and criminal mischief, which are misdemeanors.

He was arraigned and released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 2 before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.