Confluence, PA - Drunk Assaults Police Officer While Trying To Steal Police Car - Tries To Grab Mounted Shotgun - Damages Police Car
Confluence man assaults police officer,
damages cop car
Daily American Staff Writer
What started as a routine public drunkenness investigation ended with a
Confluence man facing charges, an officer assaulted and a police cruiser
temporarily out of commission.
Confluence Borough police filed a complaint against Charles Meinhart, 20,
charging him with aggravated assault, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle,
disorderly conduct, underage drinking and public drunkenness for the Wednesday
evening incident.
Borough police Officer Tom Keller was following up on several public
drunkenness complaints along Ging Street at 5:20 p.m. when Meinhart walked up to
the police cruiser and got in the driver’s seat. Keller was about 20 feet away
from the cruiser, taking a statement from a woman, he said.
“He entered the vehicle, fired it up and revved the engine, attempting to put
it in gear.” Keller said. “I thought he was trying to steal it, but he
immediately surrendered without incident.”
Keller said Meinhart was “very intoxicated,” but the charges he was considering
did not warrant arraigning Meinhart, so he decided to take him to Somerset
Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
“He had no regard for himself, anyone else or anything going on around him,” he
said. “He had to be released to someone and since he has no permanent address
there was no one to release him to.”
Four miles from the police station, Meinhart became irritated with Keller and
demanded to be let out of the cruiser.
“He began screaming obscenities, threatening me,” he said. “He immediately
started smashing his head into the cage. I told him to stop.”
When Keller turned around, the back seat and cage of the police cruiser was
covered in blood.
“Blood was everywhere,” he said. “It was like a bomb went off.”
Keller called for backup, but the closest available officer was 30 minutes away
in Elk Lick Township. Meinhart kicked out the side window. Since he is tall
and thin he was able to step through his handcuffs, moving them from behind him
to in front of him, and attempted to grab a shotgun mounted in the front of the
vehicle, according to court documents.
“I attempted to subdue him using pepper spray, but it didn’t work.” he said. “I
had to wrestle with him and hold him to the ground for at least 30 minutes until
someone arrived to assist us. It was quite a struggle.”
According to court documents, a witness who saw the incident came to Keller’s
aid. Meinhart kicked Keller in the chest and legs, according to a affidavit.
Keller said he suffered bruises and scrapes, but did not require medical
attention.
Meinhart was treated by Confluence EMS and taken to Somerset Hospital by
ambulance.
Keller said they do not have a damage estimate on the department’s only police
cruiser.
“It is being professionally cleaned for the large amounts of blood and other
bodily fluids,” he said. “The entire vehicle was contaminated with pepper
spray.”