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ST. MARYS — A St. Marys man is jailed on charges he mowed down a two people attempting to repossess his girlfriend’s vehicle Monday night, leaving one hospitalized with injuries.
John Anthony Raspatello, 60, of 347 Brusselles St. in St. Marys is charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault and misdemeanors of simple assault, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury or death, and a summary offense of reckless driving after police say he intentionally struck a pair of tow truck operators outside his home on Monday evening.
Raspatello remains in Elk County Prison on $25,000 cash bail. A preliminary hearing is set for 10:15 a.m. on Jan. 14 in St. Marys District Court.
According to court records, at 7:40 p.m. Monday, police were called to the parking lot of Nic’s Tobacco at 325 Brusselles St. in St. Marys for a report of a motor vehicle accident.
Police say they found Amy Cloak of Punxsutawney-based Brosious Towing and Tiltbed Services on the ground with injuries from being struck by a vehicle. Her co-worker, Dennis Brosious, was also struck, but not injured.
The pair told cops they arrived at the location to execute a repossession order for a 2003 maroon Chevrolet Malibu belonging to Raspatello’s unidentified girlfriend.
Upon arriving, Brosious called a phone number listed for the vehicle.
Raspatello answered and emerged from a nearby residence minutes later asking to get his personal belongings from car and reportedly making a point to tell Brosious those items included a gun.
Brosious obliged, at which point Raspatello stepped inside and commandeered the vehicle, throwing it into reverse and striking Brosious with the driver’s side door, the force of which reportedly caused the door to fold outward.
Still in reverse, Raspatello then allegedly struck Cloak, dragging her for “about two car lengths,” according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in this case.
Raspatello fled but was stopped by police blocks away on South Michael Street after a patrolman spotted the vehicle with its driver side door ajar and initiated a felony traffic stop.
Raspatello requested medical attention, the affidavit said, claiming he had been pepper sprayed by Cloak and was taken to Elk Regional Health Center, as were the victims.
Later that night, Brosious identified Raspatello to police as the driver of the vehicle involved in the earlier hit and run.
Douglas Brosious was back on the job Tuesday, although it will be considerably longer before Cloak returns after suffering separated vertebrae in her neck and sternum in Monday’s incident.
Brosious does hundreds of repossessions each year, sometimes as many as 10 to 12 per week, and said they rarely get this out of control. This is only the second such incident this year, he told The Era Tuesday.
ST. MARYS — A St. Marys man is jailed on charges he mowed down a two people attempting to repossess his girlfriend’s vehicle Monday night, leaving one hospitalized with injuries.
John Anthony Raspatello, 60, of 347 Brusselles St. in St. Marys is charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault and misdemeanors of simple assault, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury or death, and a summary offense of reckless driving after police say he intentionally struck a pair of tow truck operators outside his home on Monday evening.
Raspatello remains in Elk County Prison on $25,000 cash bail. A preliminary hearing is set for 10:15 a.m. on Jan. 14 in St. Marys District Court.
According to court records, at 7:40 p.m. Monday, police were called to the parking lot of Nic’s Tobacco at 325 Brusselles St. in St. Marys for a report of a motor vehicle accident.
Police say they found Amy Cloak of Punxsutawney-based Brosious Towing and Tiltbed Services on the ground with injuries from being struck by a vehicle. Her co-worker, Dennis Brosious, was also struck, but not injured.
The pair told cops they arrived at the location to execute a repossession order for a 2003 maroon Chevrolet Malibu belonging to Raspatello’s unidentified girlfriend.
Upon arriving, Brosious called a phone number listed for the vehicle.
Raspatello answered and emerged from a nearby residence minutes later asking to get his personal belongings from car and reportedly making a point to tell Brosious those items included a gun.
Brosious obliged, at which point Raspatello stepped inside and commandeered the vehicle, throwing it into reverse and striking Brosious with the driver’s side door, the force of which reportedly caused the door to fold outward.
Still in reverse, Raspatello then allegedly struck Cloak, dragging her for “about two car lengths,” according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in this case.
Raspatello fled but was stopped by police blocks away on South Michael Street after a patrolman spotted the vehicle with its driver side door ajar and initiated a felony traffic stop.
Raspatello requested medical attention, the affidavit said, claiming he had been pepper sprayed by Cloak and was taken to Elk Regional Health Center, as were the victims.
Later that night, Brosious identified Raspatello to police as the driver of the vehicle involved in the earlier hit and run.
Douglas Brosious was back on the job Tuesday, although it will be considerably longer before Cloak returns after suffering separated vertebrae in her neck and sternum in Monday’s incident.
Brosious does hundreds of repossessions each year, sometimes as many as 10 to 12 per week, and said they rarely get this out of control. This is only the second such incident this year, he told The Era Tuesday.
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