Charges filed after dispute over fireworks led to fight
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
A group of people from Charleroi who were setting off fireworks on a borough street late last month have been charged after allegedly assaulting three Charleroi residents who asked them to move to another location.
Morris Jones III, 18, and Danielle Rainey, 41, both of Lincoln Avenue; Erik Sean-Michael Spaziani, 24, of McKean Avenue; and Cidney Straight, 18, of Meadow Avenue were each charged Monday with multiple counts each of criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, riot, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another and harassment.
Each is also charged with obstruction of highways as a result of the alleged June 26 incident.
Charleroi Regional Police were called to the 400 block of 10th Street for a complaint about fireworks. David Richards told Officer Howard Rider that several people, including Jones, Rainey, Spaziani and Straight, had been setting fireworks off close to a car belonging to his brother, Mark Richards, an affidavit of probable cause states.
David Richards said he and his brother each asked the group of individuals to move to a spot further down the street. After refusing to move, several people from the group allegedly “jumped” the Richards brothers and Mark Richards’ fiancée, Melissa Hubert, the affidavit states.
“David Richards had obvious injuries to his face, a swollen left eye and minor lacerations to his face and nose,” Rider wrote in the affidavit, adding that Hubert, who was bleeding from her face and back of her head, told him she was knocked to the ground and that her head was slammed off the street several times by several males and females. Mark Richards told Rider he was sucker punched by one male, which caused his face and nose to bleed.
The three victims were treated at an area hospital and were each found to have broken noses. The incident left Mark Richards with two fractured vertebrae, and the laceration to Hubert’s head required her to have medical staples, court records state.
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