Texas man jailed in Connellsville Township stabbing
A Texas man is behind bars after police allege he stabbed a Connellsville man multiple times inside a bar in Connellsville Township early Saturday.
State police Trooper James A. Pierce said Marcus Claude Moreau, 40, of Channelview, Texas, was charged before Magisterial District Judge Joseph M. George Jr. with criminal attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault and a single count of simple assault for repeatedly stabbing Frank R. Hart.
Pierce said the stabbing occurred around 1:30 a.m. at Riser’s Pub at 1508 E. Crawford Ave.
According to witness accounts and video surveillance, Moreau stabbed Hart several times in the chest and back during a fight inside the bar, Pierce said.
After the stabbing, Moreau left the establishment but later turned himself in to police.
Hart, 28, was flown from the scene to UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment, where he remains in serious but stable condition.
Bartender Tanya Calhoun, no address available, also suffered a laceration to one of her hands during the fight and was taken to Highlands Hospital in Connellsville for treatment.
Pierce said that Moreau’s credit card was found inside the business and that multiple witnesses identified him as the suspect.
When he turned himself in to police, Moreau told investigators that he was attempting to break up a fight and that he began to feel threatened.
Pierce said Moreau told officers that he pulled out his knife and stabbed Hart twice but couldn’t recall where he stabbed him.
Moreau was placed in Fayette County Prison on $100,000 straight cash bond following his arraignment.
A preliminary hearing will be held at a later date before Magisterial District Judge Ronald J. Haggerty Jr.