Man wants charges dropped
A Fayette County judge will decide if a Monessen man should face aggravated assault charges when his case goes before a jury. Michael Latkanich, 29, and son of Washington Township Supervisor Joanne Latkanich, is charged with hitting Charles Yusko, a candidate for township supervisor, on Oct. 13, 2005. The fight occurred in the township.
Police charged that Latkanich punched Yusko unconscious in front of two witnesses, kicked him in the head as he lay on the ground, and threatened to kill him.
Yusko, 53, was successful in his bid for township supervisor.
Latkanich’s attorney, in a motion, indicated that Yusko exaggerated his injuries, noting that he had a broken nose and rib injury that did not require an overnight stay in the hospital.
On Friday, attorney Melinda Dellarose said that there was no evidence that Latkanich committed serious bodily injury or attempted to do that to Yusko. Both can be used to prove different sections of the aggravated assault statute.
State Deputy Attorney General William Caye presented several cases that indicated otherwise, asking Judge Steve P. Leskinen to maintain the aggravated assault charge.
Last year, Latkanich pleaded guilty to simple assault, terroristic threats and disorderly conduct and was to be sentenced to house arrest and probation, but a judge rejected the plea. That reinstated those charges, and charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and harassment, which had been dropped as part of the plea deal.
Latkanich’s attorney also asked that the trial be moved out of county because extensive pretrial publicity would taint potential jurors. That matter has not yet been decided.