Lemont Furnace man charged with assault
A Lemont Furnace man was charged Wednesday with breaking into an apartment and assaulting a Uniontown man more than a year ago. Uniontown Police Detective Donald M. Gmitter said an arrest warrant was issued for Christopher Delbridge of 416 First St. after the 37-year-old man was charged with burglary, robbery and aggravated assault.
Delbridge, according to Gmitter, is currently being housed in Greene County Prison in regards to an unrelated incident and will be arraigned on the aforementioned felony charges via video cam.
In addition to the felony charges, Delbridge is also charged with one count each of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, receiving stolen property and harassment.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Gmitter, Delbridge allegedly beat Donald Havens of Uniontown with a baseball bat during an altercation that occurred at Havens’ Walnut Street apartment Jan. 5, 2006.
Havens told police he left his apartment around 7:30 p.m. that night to take a friend home, leaving his brother Kenneth Havens in the apartment, and that when he returned about 10 minutes later the door to his residence was about two inches open.
Gmitter said Havens told police he thought it was “odd” the door was cracked and that he pushed it all the way open and saw two black males standing in the living room, with his brother sitting on a bed on the other side of the room.
Havens, according to Gmitter, told police one of the men, later identified as Delbridge, attacked him with a baseball bat while the other man, John “Pee Wee” Jones held Havens’ brother back.
Gmitter alleged Delbridge continued to beat Havens while accusing Havens of breaking into his “boy’s apartment.”
Havens told police he was hit in the face and head with bat several times and was in and out of consciousness.
Delbridge demanded money off Havens and stole his Access Card, allegedly telling the man he was lucky he didn’t use his pistol on him, Gmitter said.
Following the assault, Havens told Gmitter both men fled the apartment and that his brother gave him first aid and drove him to Uniontown Hospital.
Gmitter said Havens was transported to Ruby Memorial Hospital in West Virginia and remained hospitalized there for two days.
Havens, according to Gmitter, suffered serious injures, including a bruised left thigh, a broken right hand, a swollen and bruised right eye and a cut on his head that required staples to close the wound.
Following the incident, Gmitter said Jones was charged and convicted of burglary and other related offenses for his role in the attack.
During his trial, Jones identified Delbridge as the man who attacked Havens, Gmitter said.