DUBOIS, Pa. (GANT) – A DuBois man accused of breaking into the Lakeview Lodge and assaulting a man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday during centralized court.
(This article was provided by our News Partner GantDaily.com.)
Ritchie Aaron Taylor, 45, was charged with felony burglary, aggravated assault and criminal trespass; misdemeanor terroristic threats, two counts of simple assault, strangulation, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking and summary counts of harassment, criminal trespass and public drunkenness by Sandy Township police after an incident Feb. 27 at the Lakeview Lodge.
He is incarcerated in the county jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, when police arrived, they saw Taylor, who was covered in blood. At taser point, they asked him to put his hands in the air. He would not obey their commands and instead took a fighting stance.
When officers tried to take him into custody, he reportedly yelled and fought with them and refused to give up his hands that were near his bulging pockets. Once he was placed on the ground, he struggled and kicked at the officers.
One of the officers then deployed a taser on Taylor. They were then able to get his hands secured in handcuffs behind his back.
As they attempted to sit him up to pat him down for weapons, he then allegedly kicked one of the officers in the right leg.
When he was patted down, two bottles of beer were removed from his pants. Officers said they thought Taylor appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance due to his irrational behavior.
Taylor was transferred to Penn Highlands DuBois for a medical evaluation.
After speaking to witnesses, police determined that Taylor entered through the main front entrance during non-business hours and went to the bar/restaurant downstairs. The lights were off and there was no one in the area to indicate the business was open.
Taylor entered the bar area where he allegedly consumed one or more alcoholic beverages. He then became irate and smashed over a dozen bottles of liquid onto the floor and knocked the cash register off the counter top, destroying the bar area.
After that, he reportedly placed several beer bottles in his pants and coat pockets. He next went back to the kitchen area where the staff was cleaning and preparing food for later in the evening.
He proceeded into the main kitchen prep area undetected by staff and encountered a man who was cleaning the deep fryers.
Taylor, who was standing on the opposite end of the counter, reportedly threw a bottle of beer, striking the victim in the right side of the head. It then landed in the deep fryer.
Taylor proceeded to threaten and attack the man and they fought for several minutes, police said.
During the assault, Taylor punched him in the nose multiple times, the victim told police.
According to a witness, at one point, Taylor pulled the victim’s shirt over his head and was attempting to strangle him with his hands.
A woman tried to help the victim by releasing Taylor’s grip around his neck, but was unable to overpower him. She then ran into the back room and called 911.
The struggle continued for several minutes until the officers arrived on the scene and took Taylor into custody, according to the complaint.
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