Fayette man charged with aggravated assault
Charges were filed Thursday against a Uniontown man accused of aggravated assault after an alleged attack on another man that police said left him unconscious for two days.
Richard Saluga, Jr., 23, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
John Gamble was not awake, cognitive or able to eat until Aug. 9, two days after he was brought to WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital, a nurse told police. When initially taken to the hospital on the night of Aug. 7, the man was treated as a stroke patient due to his medical assessment, court documents said. The criminal complaint did not list an address for Gamble.
Four days after he was hospitalized, Gamble told investigators the fight was prompted by an argument after Gamble objected to Saluga’s nephews being at Saluga’s home on Coolspring Street. Saluga got on top of him and hit him in the face multiple times, according to the complaint.
When Gamble spoke with police four days later, an officer noted a swollen left eye and a laceration on the back of his head.
An emergency technician who responded to the scene said Gamble was semi-conscious immediately after the incident, responding with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
A man matching Saluga’s description helped first responders on scene with the assessment and Gamble’s information, the complaint said.
No bond information was available as of Thursday afternoon.