West Newton man faces 25 criminal counts
A West Newton man is facing 25 criminal counts, including six charges of aggravated assault against police and rescue personnel, stemming from what police said was a hit-and-run accident last month in North Huntingdon Township.
James W. Sager, 26, of 35 Center Ave., was arraigned before District Justice Douglas Weimer this week on aggravated assault charges for allegedly biting a township officer in the leg and kicking the hand of another after an Aug. 22 vehicle accident.
He also was charged with six counts of simple assault, seven counts of resisting arrest, two counts of failure to render notice of an accident, failure to stop for an accident involving death or injury, failure to give information and render aid in an accident, driving under the influence and reckless driving.
He was released on $25,000 unsecured bail and placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring, Weimer said Thursday.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 10, but Sager's attorney, William McCabe, requested a continuance yesterday. Weimer said he has not yet rescheduled the hearing.
According to the affidavit filed by township police, Sager's 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was eastbound on Route 30 at Jacktown Hill in the right lane when he swerved into the path of a Chevrolet Astro van driven by Joyce Faltz, 65, of New Stanton. Faltz traveled into the slow lane and attempted to pull off the road. She lost control of the vehicle, however, rolled the van up a hillside, which caused it to roll onto the driver side. Faltz briefly was entrapped in the vehicle and had a broken wrist, police said.
Sager then left the scene of the accident, police said, and drove west. Dispatchers told police a Subway restaurant employee observed a vehicle with front-end damage driving around the restaurant's parking lot.
When officers finally caught up to Sager at First National Bank on Clay Pike, he appeared disoriented and confused, police said, so they asked him to be checked for injuries from the accident.
While in the ambulance, police said Sager became combative and had to be removed from the vehicle. He kicked and attempted to escape, so police handcuffed him, the report said.
Sager continued to kick, bite and spit, and eventually bit Officer James Novak on the calf and kicked the hand of Sgt. David Bertok, police said. Four officers -- Bertok, Novak, Carl Steinkopf and Mike Veronie -- attempted to restrain him. He also assaulted paramedic Walt Lipinski Jr., and emergency medical technician J. Vickie Ropar, according to the report.
Novak and Bertok were both treated at Westmoreland Regional Hospital in Greensburg and released.
Officers William Sombo and William Henderson, and Sgt. Rod Mahinske, arrived to assist with the arrest. Sager was restrained, and while he was being transported to Mercy Jeannette Hospital, he admitted to ingesting two tablets of PCP, a hallucinogen, an hour before the vehicle accident, according to police.
Police Chief Charles Henaghan said Sager also was treated at Latrobe Area Hospital and was served with the warrant after his release.
