Daniel Roach appears to be taking the criminal cases against him to trial.
The 45-year-old Bradford man appeared Wednesday in McKean County Court by video for last-day-to-plea hearings in two of several pending cases against him.
These two cases are for allegations that he shot a gun near a man in Eldred and that he put a hole in a fence at McKean County Jail in an attempt to escape.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Senior Judge Richard Masson said there are three other open cases against Roach in McKean County, too.
Masson, a former president judge of Elk and Cameron counties, is hearing the cases because both McKean County judges recused themselves.
District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer noted that another case was filed Tuesday against Roach, and she believes a preliminary hearing will be happening next week on it.
In the new case, Roach is facing 36 charges related to the alleged rape of a juvenile in 2019.
In the other McKean County cases, Roach is accused of actions including running a methamphetamine operation, having a minor hold onto a firearm to hold for him and threatening Children and Youth Services employees and law enforcement officials.
Roach is also facing allegations in Venango County that he tried to deliver meth to minors in a residential/counseling facility. Court records indicate he entered a plea of not guilty in that case in September.
As for the open McKean County cases, it appears they will be going to trial.
Masson noted there had been talk of a global plea that was in negotiation.
However, defense attorney Stephanie Smith said, “I don’t believe we’re going to be able to come to a resolution in these cases one way or another.”
Smith appears to be representing Roach on four of his cases, including the escape case for which he was in court on Wednesday. Attorney John Thomas represents Roach in the shooting case.
Thomas said Roach wished for the shooting case to go to trial, too.
It is Shaffer’s intention to join several of the cases together for trial.
How many of the cases can be tried together remains to be seen, as Masson said he anticipates that he will receive requests from attorneys on both sides asking to join or sever cases.
Masson suggested that if multiple trials need to be held, then multiple jury selection days should be held, too, as it’s “very cumbersome” to keep jurors from hearing information about other cases.
No jury selection or trial dates have been set.
Roach remains incarcerated in McKean County Jail.
