A Boggs man was sentenced to one year probation Tuesday for his role in a robbery that left an Allegheny County man naked and stranded on a rural road in September.
Christopher Lee Atherton, 28, of Route 1032, said in court yesterday that he was told by a co-defendant that they were going to retrieve money that had been stolen.
Police said Atherton was riding in a car on Sept. 17 with Chad Hunter Sherry, 30, of Rural Valley, and Thomas Julian Brown, then 42, of Swissvale. The men allegedly stopped the car in a remote area of Wayne Township at about 9 p.m. and attempted to rob Brown of money and prescription pills.
Police said a third man, Michael Dale Atherton, 31, of Kittanning followed them on a motorcycle. Police said Christopher Atherton and Sherry punched and kicked the victim when he refused to hand over the pills and his wallet. According to police, Michael Atherton fired three shots in an attempt to scare the victim.
Christopher Atherton said yesterday that his physical altercation with Brown had "nothing to do with the pills, I could've cared less whether they got them or not."
After the assault, police said Sherry ordered Brown to strip and turn over the pills. The three men left Brown stranded at the scene, police said. The victim's clothes were discarded a short distance away on railroad tracks.
The victim was spotted by two motorists who reported the naked man to 911.
Christopher Atherton pleaded guilty to a count of simple assault in May. Michael Atherton is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 3. Sherry is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 31.
