Uniontown teens face court date for BB shootings
All charges were held for court Tuesday against two Uniontown teens accused of shooting a woman in the leg with a BB gun June 23. Uniontown police Patrolman Thomas Kolencik said Melonie Baker, 16, of 264 Coolspring St. and Tiajana Brown, 17, of 204 Evans St. were each charged as adults with aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, possessing instruments of a crime, propulsion of missiles, criminal mischief and unauthorized use of an air rifle.
Magisterial District Judge Michael M. Metros held all charges against both teens for Fayette County Court following a preliminary hearing Tuesday afternoon.
The charges were filed against the girls following an incident that occurred around 6:30 p.m. on Coolspring Street.
Kolencik said that police received a report from Michael Zavatchen of Uniontown that his daughter, Jessica Zavatchen, 19, also of Uniontown, was shot in the leg with a BB gun while she was driving on Coolspring Street.
Zavatchen said he was taking her to Uniontown Hospital, but told police where the incident occurred, Kolencik said.
Kolencik said that as police cars responded to the area, Fayette County 911 received a call from a Pamela Bootz of Uniontown, who told dispatchers that someone shot out the windshield of her brand-new Dodge Caliber while she was traveling on Coolspring Street just moments earlier.
Kolencik said officers arrived at 164 Coolspring St., where the incidents were reported to have occurred, and found spent BBs and used C02 cartridges that are used to power BB guns on the sidewalk outside the home.
Kolencik said that, after further investigation, Baker and Brown, who were inside the residence, admitted to shooting at cars with a BB gun from the home as the cars traveled past the residence.
Kolencik said that, in addition to the injury to Jessica Zavatchen and the damage to Bootz’s vehicle, police found dozens of holes caused by the BB gun in the siding of a nearby business.
He said that Jessica Zavatchen’s injury was caused when the BB was fired through the open passenger-side window of her vehicle and past her father, who was in the passenger seat, and into her leg.