Uniontown man charged with intimidating witness
A Uniontown man on trial for attempted homicide in a 2006 shooting in Washington County is now facing additional charges he intimidated a witness in the case in Fayette County last week. Antwain Rashad Oliver, 24, formerly of Brownsville, was charged before Magisterial District Judge Michael Defino with intimidation of a witness after he allegedly approached a woman scheduled to testify against him at a location in Redstone Township, state police said.
Oliver was charged with the March 31, 2006, shooting of James Orndoff of Fredericktown during an altercation outside a bar on Front Street in Fredericktown, Washington County. He was taken into custody about a month after the shooting in Coal Center.
Orndoff survived the shooting.
Oliver is set to stand trial in Washington County Court later this year on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, firearms not to be carried without a license and two counts of simple assault.
His arrest Friday comes just a few weeks after Oliver attempted to get his case dismissed by making a motion for Rule 600.
Oliver claimed that the amount of time permitted by the state to try the case had passed before his charges were brought to trial. However, Washington County Judge Paul Pozonsky denied the motion.
Oliver was taken into custody at a hearing to change his defense council Friday on the new charges of witness intimidation.
The specific details of the intimidation charge were not available Monday.