Punxsy Co-Principal Pleads Guilty to Violating PFA Order

JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) – A Punxsutawney Area High School co-principal recently pleaded guilty to violating a PFA (Protection From Abuse) order.

According to court documents, on December 13, an ICC (Indirect Criminal Contempt) hearing was held for 45-year-old Paul Alan Hetrick, co-principal at Punxsutawney Area High School, in Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas with President Judge John H. Foradora presiding. The hearing stemmed from a PFA violation that occurred on December 8, 2022.

Hetrick pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a maximum of six-months probation and ordered to pay $1,186.75 in fines and fees.

The December 8, 2022 incident was the third time Hetrick was arrested in the last four months.

Details of the cases:

According to court documents, Paul Alan Hetrick, of Punxsutawney, was arrested in October for a PFA (Protection From Abuse) violation, charged in November for a DUI, and then on December 9 for another PFA violation.

According to a criminal complaint filed on October 20, 2022, Hetrick was arrested for a PFA violation after receiving warnings from the Punxsutawney Borough Police. Chief of Police Matt Conrad had previously advised Hetrick that he is to have no contact with his estranged wife unless it had to do with the care of the children.

According to a second criminal complaint filed on November 1, 2022, Hetrick was arrested for DUI on September 9, 2022, on Apple Street, in Bell Township, Jefferson County.

His BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) was listed as .193, according to the complaint.

According to court documents, Hetrick was sentenced on December 8 to the ARD (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition) Program for 12 months, license suspension, and ordered to pay costs/fees in the amount of $1,915.75.

A third criminal complaint obtained by exploreJeffersonPA.com reveals that on Friday, December 9, Hetrick was arrested for violating a temporary PFA order. The PFA, effective September 30 through December 30, ordered Hetrick not to contact his estranged wife except when pertaining to the couple’s children.

According to the complaint, on December 9, a Punxsutawney Borough Police Officer was on campus at the Punxsutawney Area Elementary School relieving the School Resource Officer. He was in the principal’s office when the principal’s cell phone rang. When the call was disconnected, the principal advised the officer that he needed to go see Hetrick’s estranged wife, an employee of the school.

Upon responding to her classroom, the officer spoke with the victim in the hallway. She stated that she was in the process of getting a divorce from her estranged husband and that a PFA was in-place. She described the no-contact stipulation. She then took out her cell phone and showed the officer a text message from Paul Hetrick. The message read, “Can I please be made aware before our house goes up for sale on the market? My name is on it,” the complaint indicates.

She told the officer “that she just wants to have it documented that he sent this to her,” the complaint notes.

The officer reported that he explained to the victim that as he read the text message, he did not perceive it to pertain to the children. He informed her that he would contact the District Attorney’s Office in reference to her request, but that he would initiate an investigation and make an arrest as required, according to the complaint.

When the officer returned to the Punxsutawney Borough Police Station, he advised Chief Matt Conrad of the case. After the briefing, he contacted an officer of the Jefferson County Adult Probation Office, advising him of the PFA violation involving Hetrick, the complaint states.

After speaking with Assistant District Attorney Kristine Carlini and advising her of the facts of his investigation, Carlini confirmed that there was a violation and instructed the officer to file charges, the complaint states.

The officer then called Adult Probation Officer Calhoun again and advised him that he was filing a criminal complaint against Hetrick. Calhoun stated that he had talked with Hetrick on the phone, who admitted to sending the text message. Hetrick stated that his children “came over to his residence the night before with a lot of stuff there, and that’s what prompted the text message” to his estranged wife, according to the complaint.


Copyright © 2024 EYT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of the contents of this service without the express written consent of EYT Media Group, Inc. is expressly prohibited.

Comments are temporarily closed. A new and improved comments section will be added soon.