Schuylkill County Man Destroys Home Where He Rented Room

A Schuylkill County man is accused of destroying a home where he was reportedly renting a room for several months.

According to a police affidavit, Troopers from State Police-Frackville were dispatched to a home on Catawissa Rd., Walker Twp., just before 9 p.m. on Dec. 21 for a report of a disturbance.

Police arrived shortly after 9:15 p.m. and found the caller, Dale Heisler, in the driveway. Heisler called police to say Michael Smerlick, who had rented a room at this location for several months, was inside smashing items. 

Heisler said his son, Bruce, owned the home. 

As police were talking with Dale Heisler, they could hear things being smashed inside. They tried to get someone to come to the front door but were unsuccessful. So, they went to an unlocked side entrance and went inside. 

Inside that Walker Twp. home, police describe “the complete destruction of the first floor.”

“Household items were smashed and scattered on the floor to the point where it was difficult to maneuver around the broken items. I observed multiple holes in the drywall and black spray paint on the walls. The television in the living room was smashed.

“The kitchen faucet was turned on and water was filling the sink. The faucet in the half-bathroom was running and damaged pipes underneath the sink were cauing water to drain onto the floor. The toilet in the half-bathroom was clogged with unknown items,” Trooper Trevor Skripko writes in his affidavit.

Police say they announced their presence several times while inside and eventually Smerlick emerged from the second floor of the home. Smerlick was taken into custody and later taken to the Frackville barracks before being taken before on-call District Magistrate Stephen Bayer for arraignment. 

Bayer set bail at a percentage of $10,000 cash bail, which Smerlick could not pay and he was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison.

Just before 10:30 on the night of the incident, Bruce Heisler, the owner of that Walker Twp. home, contacted State Police to inform them that he rented a room in the home to Smerlick. He said on the night of the incident, Smerlick, for unknown reasons, just began smashing items and destroying the house. He said he was present in the home at the beginning of this rampage but fled in fear of Smerlick’s actions.

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