Man Who Allegedly Pointed Gun at Police Officers Appears in Court

A judge rules there’s enough evidence to send a Ferguson Township man to trial for allegedly pointing a handgun at police officers.

James Scholl is charged with aggravated assault and illegal possession of a firearm. He allegedly got into a fight with police officers on Sept. 14 at a home on Zorich Road. Police were called to the scene for a reported domestic dispute.

At a preliminary hearing in Centre County Court Wednesday morning, Patton Township Police Officer Brian Shaffer took the stand. Shaffer testified that when he and the two other officers arrived they found Scholl’s girlfriend crying in a car outside of a house trailer. He says Scholl was inside.

“We got a call that a female was being held against her will in a trailer,” Shaffer said. “She somehow escaped to the car outside.”

Shaffer also said the woman told the officers there was a gun inside the home but that Scholl might too intoxicated to find it.

Once the officers realized the front door would not open, Shaffer went around to the back of the home. Shaffer says he eventually heard one of the other officers yelling, “Drop your weapon.” Shaffer says he ran back to find the other officers in a struggle with Scholl who were trying to get a handgun away from him.

Shaffer says he would have shot Scholl if the other officers weren’t so close. When Ferguson Township Police Officer William Chambers, said he had Scholl’s gun, Shaffer took him to the ground.

Chambers testified that Scholl did in fact point a gun at him.

Patton Township Police Sergeant Sean Albright also testified, saying he was going to use his tazer on Scholl, but was worried the shock might have caused Scholl to pull the trigger of his gun.

Scholl’s case will now head to the Centre County Court of Common Pleas.

He remains in custody at the Centre County Correctional Facility.

In another case, Two people charged with fighting police officers were supposed to have their preliminary hearing today. That was pushed back to Oct. 16.

David Knepp and Crystal Metheny were charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police officers after police responded to a report of disorderly conduct at their home. According to police, Knepp and Metheny both began to fight with the officers.

Both suspects had been held in the Centre County Correctional Facility, but were released on intense supervised bail.