Four cooperating witnesses sentenced in Pagans case

By KRISTIE LINDEN

klinden@yourmvi.com

The four cooperating witnesses who helped with the prosecution of two Pagans convicted of aggravated assault have had their cases resolved.

Last month, Matthew Vasquez, 31, of Monessen and Joseph Olinsky III, 46, of McKeesport were both sentenced to 20 to 40 years for aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault for their roles in the beating of former Pagan Troy Harris in the Slovak Club in Charleroi.

They were two of seven Pagan Motorcycle Club members who entered the Slovak Club April 18, 2019, and attacked Harris, leaving him with permanent traumatic brain injuries.

Four of the other men agreed to plea deals last fall and one, Paul Cochran, 55, of North Charleroi, agreed to cooperate with the prosecution.

After Vasquez’ and Olinsky’s trial ended and the sentences were handed down by Washington County Common Pleas Judge John DiSalle, the four cooperating witnesses’ cases could be resolved.

Cochran, who like all seven of the men who entered the Slovak Club that night, was originally charged with attempted homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and simple assault, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years of probation. All other charges were dismissed.

For Washington County Deputy District Attorney Jason Walsh, Cochran’s plea deal was a result of how important his testimony was to the overall case.

“He testified and told us exactly what happened,” Walsh said. “He told the story of the conspiracy from Montana (Michael Barringer), gave us the story from start to finish.”

Barringer, 50, who was the Pagans’ national sergeant at arms — the third highest ranking Pagan in the country — pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and was sentenced to four to eight years in jail.

According to Cochran, Barringer gave the order for the seven men to go to the Slovak Club that night to teach Troy Harris a lesson. Barringer was also accused of engaging former state police trooper James Baranowski, 58, of Chalk Hill, Pa., to bribe the Harris family into dropping the case. 

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