Arraignment set for Penn Township man accused of shooting police officer

A Penn Township man accused of firing a shot that tore through the shirt of a police officer Wednesday was ordered held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $500,000 bail after his arraignment on attempted homicide charges.

Jody J. Martz, 52, was also charged with six counts of aggravated assault, three counts of reckless endangerment and four counts of simple assault filed by township police. Martz is accused of firing a shot from a .270-caliber rifle that went through a wall of his house before striking the uniform of veteran township Officer David Noll, who was not injured.

“We always talk and talk about these things being able to happen in law enforcement, but when it does ... we all had to take a step back and think about what could have happened. We really got lucky,” police Chief John Otto said.

Noll and other officers were responding to a Westmoreland 911 call from women inside Martz's Thomas Street home who said he had assaulted them during a home decorating party they were attending about 6:55 p.m.

Otto said the officers approached the front door, and Noll knocked twice on the wall beside it before announcing that they were the police.

“That's when the round went off. ... It came from inside the house right through the wall,” Otto said.

Investigators said the bullet passed through the wall and a light switch before striking the uniform of the 25-year police veteran, who was wearing a protective vest.

Otto said Noll still had his arm up in the air after knocking on the door and was in the midst of turning around and stepping away when the shot was fired.

“Fortunately, there was a space under his arm because it was still lifted in the air,” Otto said. The bullet “goes through sort of from behind and right where the uniform sags in the armpit ... it ends up going right through the right front breast pocket.”

Noll moved away from the home and took a defensive position, and Martz subsequently surrendered. Police said two live rounds, plus the spent casing, were found next to Martz's rifle when he was taken into custody.

About a dozen women were at the home for the party, according to the affidavit of probable cause. Police were summoned when Martz allegedly punched, pushed and choked four of the women, court documents said.

Martz told police he had been drinking alcohol and was on medication.

“Jody Martz confessed that he knew an officer was knocking on the wall near the front door when he fired his Savage .270 at the wall believing the officer was not in that immediate area,” officers wrote in the affidavit.

Martz also admitted striking the women, according to the affidavit.

After Martz surrendered, Noll was instructed “to go home to spend some time with his wife and kids.”

Otto said Noll will be taking some time off “just to get his mind straight after something like that.”

“That was really a very close call. Just one split second and it could have been a tragically different outcome,” Otto said. “It really sometimes eats at you knowing it could have been the last time you saw your wife and kids. ... You just need to step away and spend time with your family.”

Martz has no prior criminal record in Westmoreland County.

Harrison City District Judge Helen Kistler scheduled his preliminary hearing for Sept. 13.

An attorney was not listed in court documents for Martz.

Paul Peirce is a reporter for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at 724-850-2860 or ppeirce@tribweb.com.