Monessen man sentenced for robbery, assault
A Monessen man was sentenced to one to three years in prison for aggravated assault Thursday in Fayette County Court.
James A. Piskopus, 45, entered guilty pleas to the assault, robbery and other related charges earlier this year in a case where state police charged he stole a car outside a Rostraver Township church and tried to steal a computer from Walmart in Connellsville. When an employee tried to stop him, authorities charged Piskopus threatened him, fled the store and led police on a chase that ended when Piskopus tried to use his car to run into a trooper in North Union Township.
Piskopus initially faced two attempted homicide charges, but one was dismissed earlier and the second was dismissed as part of the plea deal. A second aggravated assault charge was also dismissed as part of the plea deal.
In June, he entered pleas to robbery, terroristic threats, fleeing and eluding, receiving stolen property, theft by unlawful taking, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.
Judge Steve P. Leskinen said that he was sentencing Piskopus below the standard range for aggravated assault, and was only doing so because the victims in the case consented to the plea arrangement.
The sentence included a second case in which Piskopus admitted to a retail theft where he removed a toy shopping cart from its box, filled the box with other items and intended to take it to a check out, hoping a clerk would believe it was the toy.