FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) &8211; An Oil City man, with a lengthy and violent criminal past, recently pleaded guilty to three charges in the case of a vicious assault last summer at a popular recreation area along East Sandy Creek.
According to online court documents, on January 23, Christen John Shirey, 35, of Oil City, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, and two second-degree misdemeanor counts of simple assault.
Other charges were dropped in exchange for his plea to the crimes he committed on July 29, 2016.
At the time of the assault, Shirey was out on parole stemming from some of his previous crimes.
Shirey is currently lodged in the State Correctional Institute in Mercer.
His sentencing date is March 27.
Details of the case
According to a previous story on explorevenango.com, Shirey and about 20 others were visiting the swimming and beach area along East Sandy Creek near the bike trail (known as Coulters Hole).
Shirey then allegedly became drunk and left the area, returning to the bike trail parking area off Cranberry Rockland Road.
The criminal complaint filed by Franklin-based State Police stated that Shirey noted his car wasn’t parked where he left it and believed it had been stolen.
He returned to the swimming area, assuming it had been stolen by someone there. After making verbal accusations, he hit a male victim in the face, causing him to lose consciousness. Then, Shirey hit a known woman three to four times in the face, causing her to have a seizure.
Shirey also struck a second male who approached him. The second victim suffered a broken nose, bruising between the eyes, and a severe cut to his face.
In addition, Shirey threatened other people in the area.
The first male victim was taken to UPMC Hamot in Erie for a concussion and swelling to the face. He received stitches to his lip and left eye.
Criminal History
Shirey has been in and out of prison for most of the last 17 years for various offenses, including drug-related crimes, underage drinking, parole violations, and numerous assaults.
In 2011, Shirey stabbed 21-year-old twin brothers Jack Reed Villar and Robert James Villar during a large outdoor party near the Kennerdell Road and Rankin Chapel Road area of Clinton Township.
Shirey was sentenced to a total of 28 to 84 months in the stabbings and was paroled in September 2014.
