Most serious charge dropped in shooting case
MASONTOWN – The most serious charge was dropped Monday against a Footedale man accused of shooting a juvenile trying to steal his all-terrain vehicle last September. Assistant Fayette County District Attorney John Kopas withdrew a felony aggravated assault charge against John Richard Sokol IV, 18, of 232 Second St. In exchange, Sokol waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the remaining misdemeanor charges of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
Kopas also agreed to support Sokol’s petition to enter Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition (ARD), which would erase the matter from his criminal record upon completion of the program.
The tentative agreement, which was reached prior to Sokol’s preliminary hearing before Masontown District Justice Brenda Cavalcante, is subject to approval in Fayette County Court, where the case will now proceed.
Sokol’s attorney Sam Davis said the agreement sends the right message by balancing Sokol’s use of force with his right to protect himself.
“We certainly shouldn’t use unwarranted force, but there has to be a balance. We have to be able to protect ourselves,” Davis said.
He said the ARD permits rehabilitation, but results in no criminal record to “haunt” his client.
Sokol’s first ATV was stolen about three weeks before this incident occurred and several other ATVs had also been stolen from the area, family members said at the time.
With some help from his family, Sokol bought another ATV and stored it in the shed behind his grandmother’s nearby house at 218 Water St.
Wary of another theft, Sokol told police he placed a baby monitor near the shed and stayed awake until early morning hours to keep an eye on the vehicle.
At about 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 25, Sokol said he heard the sound of a lock being cut over the monitor, looked outside and saw two people at the shed. Sokol told police he then retrieved a 7mm-magnum rifle from his house and went to the shed where two people were breaking in. They ran down an alley after he yelled. Sokol said he fired a shot to get them to stop, but the bullet struck one of them in the arm.
Injured was a 17-year-old male. His 15-year-old male accomplice was not injured. They were charged as juveniles and 19-year-old Raven Iandiorio of Fairchance was charged for allegedly driving them to the scene and waiting there to drive them away.