A Bradford man accused of fleeing from police on two separate occasions was sentenced Thursday in McKean County Court to time in state prison.
Timothy M. Schuster II, 21, of Bradford, will serve 35 to 78 months in state prison with credit for 76 days of time served. He will pay $1,500 in restitution, too.
In one case, a jury found Schuster guilty Sept. 1 of one charge of flight to avoid apprehension. In the second, he pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to charges of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer and receiving stolen property.
In one case — the case that went to trial — Schuster was accused of covering his face with his shirt, trying to hide his identity, when police went to approach him about an active warrant. He ran and hid in a heavily wooded area until law enforcement officials apprehended him. This incident happened Aug. 6, 2019.
In the other case, Schuster pleaded guilty to allegations that on June 19 he refused to bring the motorcycle he was operating to a stop, even though officers had visual and audio signals active; This led to a high-speed chase. Also, the motorcycle Schuster was operating was stolen.
Also in court, Richard E. Lewis, 46, of Bradford, was sentenced to a term of nine months to two years in state prison for charges in three cases. On Aug. 28, Lewis pleaded no contest to a charge of aggravated assault in one case, terroristic threats in a second case and disorderly conduct in a third case.
Lewis appeared via video conference from an in-patient treatment facility where he is being treated for mental health issues. In fact, Lewis’s attorney, Stephanie Smith, explained that all three events that charges stem from had happened at Bradford Regional Medical Center while Lewis was there getting treatment for mental health issues.
Court records filed at the time of his arrest alleged that in one case, the ER at BRMC had to be put on lockdown on Jan. 30 because Lewis was being aggressive with staff. In another case, court records alleged that on Feb. 6, he pushed a nurse and she fell against a wall and on a water fountain. In the third case, court records alleged that Lewis made threats on at least four occasions between April 9-11 at BRMC.
When asked if he wanted to make a statement on his own behalf at Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Lewis said, “I just want to say how sorry I am for what happened to the victims, and it will never happen again.”
Alyssa R. Fasciano, 23, of Buffalo, N.Y., will serve five years of probation with a period of restrictive sanctions for charges of DUI-controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Frederick W. Cochran Jr., 67, of Port Allegany, will serve one year of probation for a charge of simple assault. On Sept. 10, Cochran pleaded guilty to allegations that on July 28, he pushed his wife into a door, injuring her head and arm; his wife was unable to move her arm, which was swollen.
Christian C. Clark, 30, of Bradford, will serve 59 days to six months in McKean County Jail with credit for 59 days of time served for a charge of receiving stolen property. Clark pleaded guilty Sept. 3 to allegations that on April 25, 2019, he retained Yu-Gi-Oh! cards with a value of at least $300 that were not his.
