Preliminary Hearing Set for Truck Driver Accused of Assaulting, Robbing Man in Brookville

BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – A preliminary hearing is scheduled for a truck driver who is facing a series of charges after allegedly assaulting and robbing another driver at a truck stop in Brookville.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, for 62-year-old Robert Miranda, of Swansen, MA, in Magisterial District Judge Gregory M Bazylak’s office on the following charges:

– Aggravated Assault, Felony 1
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Harassment – Subject Other to Physical Contact, Summary
– Disorderly Conduct Engage In Fighting, Misdemeanor 3
– Robbery-Inflict Serious Bodily Injury, Felony 1
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 2
– Receiving Stolen Property, Misdemeanor 2
– Tamper With/Fabricate Physical Evidence, Misdemeanor 2

A certified summons was issued to Mirando on Thursday, May 24.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, around 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, Jefferson County Control dispatched Officer Stormer, of the Brookville Borough Police Department, to the Flying J truck stop on Allegheny Boulevard in Brookville for an assault.

The complaint states the assault happened in the rear truck parking lot, and the suspect was believed to have fled the area.

Officer Stormer responded to the scene and met with the known male victim.

The victim was bleeding from the head and face and stated he was assaulted by an unknown male driving a light blue Dana Trucking truck with a tanker.

The victim said the driver and he had both been traveling eastbound on Interstate 80, and both got off at exit 78. He said the Dana driver then began blowing his horn as the two traveled to the Flying J.

Once at the Flying J, both trucks parked in the truck lot. The victim was operating a red truck-trailer combination owned by Knight Trucking. The victim stated he parked in a parking spot on the southwestern corner of the parking lot. The Dana truck had parked near his truck in the southern end of the parking lot. After both vehicles were parked, the victim said that the Dana driver broke the door seal on his trailer, and he went over to the Dana truck to take a picture of the driver’s license plate.

The victim said that he was then thrown to the ground by the Dana driver and doesn’t remember what happened after that. He said the driver also took his cell phone because it was missing.

Officer Stormer searched the immediate area and did not find the phone. He also called the phone and was unable to hear it in the area. A Volvo truck key belonging to the victim was located and returned to him.

The victim’s cell phone was an iPhone 6, worth approximately $700.00. The phone was housed in a $50.00 custom case. The cell phone contained evidence that would identify the trucking company and ultimately the driver of the Dana truck who damaged the seal on the victim’s truck. The phone contained evidence leading to the identification of the suspect in other crimes, as well.

Officer Stormer interviewed a witness who saw the assault, and the witness was also the 9-1-1 caller who prompted the investigation.

A second witness stated he did not see what happened but knew the truck involved was a Dana Trucking Kenworth with a swan or bird hood ornament that was red, white, and blue in color. He reported that the Dana truck sped off in an unknown direction.

The complaint states that the victim had a visible cut on his head on the upper right side, a cut on his upper left lip, and cuts on his left ear, and all of the cuts were producing moderate amounts of blood and were also causing moderate swelling.

Officer Stormer took photographs of the victim and the scene of the alleged crimes. The victim was treated initially on the scene for his injuries by Jefferson County EMS and then was transported to Penn Highlands Brookville Hospital. From there, the victim was transported to Allegheny General Hospital for further treatment.

On Friday, May 18, Chief Markle and Officer Turnbull contacted Dana Trucking. An employee of Dana Trucking stated that one of their trucks was in Brookville at the time of the incident, and they were able to identify the truck based on the trailer number. The driver was identified as Robert Miranda.

Miranda was contacted and asked to return to Brookville as soon as possible, but he stated that he did not know when he would be able to return due to being on the road working currently in New Jersey.

On Saturday, May 19, Officer Turnbull contacted Dana Trucking and requested a copy of the driver’s logs to show the vehicle was at the Flying J Truck Stop at the time of the incident. The log showed that Miranda was in the Brookville area from 3:37 p.m. to 4:27 p.m. on Thursday, May 17. The log also showed Miranda driving in violation of required break time at approximately 4:03 p.m until 4:27 p.m.

Officer Turnbull contacted the wife of the victim who stated her husband had the following injuries as a result of the incident: a broken jaw, that may need to be reset; multiple small fractures in the face; bleeding in the ears; broken teeth; a cut on the back of the head; and fluid in his face that will need to be drained.

On Tuesday, May 22, around 10:58 a.m., Officer Stormer spoke to an employee of Knight Trucking who was able to recover video footage from the victim’s truck’s dashboard camera from the day and time of the incident. The footage was emailed to the Brookville Police Department.

Video footage showed the victim leaving his truck and walking over to a light blue truck with a tanker. The blue truck was parked where the victim had stated. The victim is seen in front of and on the driver’s side of the blue truck and is standing in the manner of someone taking photographs with a cell phone.

A white male is then seen exiting the blue truck, confronting the victim, and taking him to the ground. The video shows the man, believed to be Miranda, punching the victim as the victim was on the ground. After a series of punches, the victim is seen going limp, and the person believed to be Miranda can be seen picking up an item off the ground believed to be the victim’s cell phone. He is then seen getting back into the truck and leaving the scene, while the victim remained on the ground unresponsive.

Based on Officer Stormer’s investigation, charges against Miranda were filed on Wednesday, May 23, in Magisterial District Judge Gregory M Bazylak’s office.


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