CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — A Rimersburg man who allegedly broke down a house door, punched a man in the head, and then threatened to shoot him will be sentenced on Wednesday.
According to court documents, sentencing is scheduled for 31-year-old Steven Ray Johnston at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 31, in front of President Judge James G. Arner.
On June 19, Johnston pleaded guilty in Clarion County Court of Common Pleas of the following charges:
– Criminal Trespass-Enter Structure, Felony 3
– Terroristic Threats W/Intent To Terrorize Another, Misdemeanor 1
As a result of the plea agreement, the following charges were dismissed:
– Burglary – Overnight Accommodations; Person Present, Bodily Injury Crime, Felony 1
– Terroristic Threats W/Intent To Terrorize Another, Misdemeanor 1 (one count)
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2 (two counts)
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– Criminal Mischief-Damage Property, Misdemeanor 3
– Harassment – Subject Other to Physical Contact, Summary (two counts)
– Public Drunkenness And Similar Misconduct, Summary
– Possession Of Marijuana, Misdemeanor
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
Johnston remains free on surety posted by a professional bondsman.
Case Details:
According to a criminal complaint, at 8:40 p.m. on November 3, Officer Scheckler, of the Clarion Borough Police Department, was dispatched to an apartment on South 7th Avenue in Clarion regarding a burglary that had just occurred. While en route, Clarion OES radioed Officer Scheckler indicating that the suspect had left the scene in a red Dodge truck with a loud exhaust system.
Around 8:42 p.m., Officer Scheckler arrived on the scene and spoke to a known woman who stated that her previous boyfriend – Steven Ray Johnston – was at her residence and pounded loudly on the entrance door.
The known woman reported that she and her current boyfriend saw that it was Johnston and did not open the door. When Johnston saw that the known woman’s current boyfriend was there, he became irate. He pounded on the locked door, knocking the center of the door out onto the floor. Johnston looked through the broken part of the door, saw the known woman, reached through, and slapped her in the face. He then charged the door, breaking off the door jam. The known woman told Johnston several times to leave the residence; however, he went after the known woman’s current boyfriend. The two got into an altercation, and Johnston punched the man in the head. They tussled and ended in the living room area. The known woman had to physically push a two-year-old child out of the way. The scuffle continued, and Johnston told the known woman and the man that “they got one coming and threatened to shoot the man.” He then left the residence, according to the complaint.
While Officer Scheckler was still interviewing the known woman, a pickup truck pulled up outside the residence and revved the engine loudly. Officer Scheckler went outside to investigate, and the red Dodge pickup was still running, the driver’s door was open, but Johnston wasn’t present. Officer Scheckler turned off the pickup and took possession of the key.
Officer Scheckler could hear yelling in the upstairs apartment and hollered up to Johnston identifying himself as a Clarion Police Officer and ordered him to come down the stairs. Johnston complied, and he was taken into custody without incident.
Officers Fox and Maxwell assisted Officer Scheckler at the scene.
Johnston was searched, and a glass smoking pipe used for smoking marijuana was located.
He was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of the police car. At this time, Officer Scheckler noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverages coming from his breath, along with slurred speech.
Johnston was transported to the Clarion Borough Police Station, and Clarion Hospital EMS was dispatched to check on Johnston’s injuries, as he had cuts on his hands and nose.
After being read his Miranda rights at the police station, Johnston denied entering the residence and claimed that the known man caused all of the damages to the door not him, according to the complaint.
Johnston was also transported to the Clarion Hospital, and he agreed to submit to a blood-alcohol (BAC) test.
He was arraigned on Sunday, November 4, in Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn’s office.
He was lodged in the Clarion County Jail on $10,000.00 monetary bail on November 4. On November 6, he was released on a $10,000.00 surety bond by a professional bondsman.
