Uniontown man charged with intimidation of a witness
A Uniontown man is behind bars after police allege he threatened his estranged wife with a knife and forced her to withdraw assault charges she had filed against him.
State police Trooper James L. Garlick said Maceo Delmont Belt, 42, was charged Monday before Magisterial District Judge Joseph M. George Jr. with intimidation of a witness and simple assault following the incident Aug. 29 in Menallen Township.
Garlick said the incident occurred when Belt went to the workplace of his wife, Linnea Belt, where he threatened her with a knife and ordered her to fill out a form that would indicate she was withdrawing aggravated assault and related charges against him in a previous incident on Aug. 5. In that case, state police had charged Maceo Belt for dragging Linnea Belt from a car during an argument in North Union Township.
Linnea told police she signed the withdrawal form because she was in fear for her safety and noted that the charges against Maceo Belt were withdrawn because of the written withdrawal he procured from Linnea Belt, Garlick said.
Garlick said the intimidation and simple assault charges against Maceo Belt were filed after police began investigating him in an unrelated case.
In that case, Maceo Belt was charged before George on Monday with receiving stolen property after police learned he had pilfered Pittsburgh Steelers tickets last fall from a Uniontown man.
After the victim reported the tickets as stolen, Pittsburgh police, in conjunction with the investigation by state police, attended the game in question at Heinz Field and found Linnea Belt and her mother in the seats.
She told police that Maceo Belt had given her the tickets, which was corroborated by other witnesses.
While interviewing Linnea Belt about the Steelers tickets, Garlick said he learned of the threats made by Maceo Belt regarding the alleged dragging incident in August.
Belt was placed in Fayette County Prison on $30,000 combined straight cash bond following his arraignments before George.
He will face a preliminary hearing at a later date before George on the intimidation case and a preliminary hearing for receiving stolen property at a later date before Magisterial District Judge Michael M. Metros.