Charges dismissed after victim fails to appear at hearing
Charges were dismissed Tuesday against a Uniontown man accused of threatening to kill another Uniontown man if he testified against his relatives in court regarding an alleged assault. Uniontown police Detective Donald M. Gmitter said Carl Joseph DeShields, 20, of 222 Evans St. was charged before Magisterial District Judge Michael M. Metros with intimidation of a witness and terroristic threats after the alleged incident May 20.
Fayette County Assistant District Attorney J.W. Eddy said that the charges were dismissed after the alleged victim, Robert Silbaugh, 19, of Fayette City, failed to appear in court.
He noted that the charges might be refiled at a later date against DeShields.
According to Gmitter, the charges were filed after DeShields threatened Silbaugh when he encountered Silbaugh playing basketball at the Grant Street Park.
Gmitter said that DeShields approached Silbaugh and told him that he would kill him and his family if he testified against Kyle Bass of Uniontown and a juvenile suspect in an alleged attack on Silbaugh, Kevin Rich of Uniontown and a Uniontown teenager May 10.
Officer Travis Shandor said that incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. at 104 Murray Ave.
According to Shandor, Silbaugh, Rich and the teen were on the porch at the residence when between 20 and 30 teenage boys ran out of an alley and started to attack them.
Gmitter said that at least one of the aggressors was wielding a knife and several others were armed with large pipes.
Shandor said that Silbaugh, Rich and the teenager on the porch suffered multiple injuries during the fight and were taken to Uniontown Hospital for treatment.
Gmitter said that the fight occurred because the suspected teenagers, members of the alleged teenage gang called the Killa Squad, wanted to retaliate against Rich after he was allegedly involved in a scuffle several weeks prior to the incident.
As a result of the fight, Uniontown police have arrested three teenagers, including Bass, and charged them as adults, filed juvenile charges against several other suspects and have outstanding warrants for additional suspects.