Police say a Harrisburg man jumped into a creek to avoid arrest last week in Schuylkill County.
According to an affidavit filed by State Police-Frackville, a Trooper was dispatched to a home in Middleport shortly after 7 p.m. on March 14 for a report of a domestic altercation.
At the scene, police say they spoke with the alleged victim of the domestic fight. She reportedly told police that the fight between her and Xavier Mercado, 33, of Harrisburg, started around 7 p.m. that evening. The fight was over damage done to her vehicle and she suspected Mercado was responsible for it.
The argument turned physical when Mercado allegedly punched the victim twice in the forehead, then shoved her to the ground, and punched her once more in the head. Police say they observed a large bruise above the victim’s right eyebrow.
Prior to police arriving on the scene, Mercado reportedly fled the scene on foot. Police say they searched the area and found Mercado walking on Coal St., near its intersection with Railroad St. As police attempted to make contact with Mercado, he allegedly jumped into a nearby creek and continued to flee on foot.
Court records show Mercado was eventually arrested and arraigned on March 15 before District Magistrate Judge AJ Serina. Police have charged Mercado with simple assault and evading arrest, both misdemeanors, and harassment, a summary offense.
Serina set bail at $25,000 cash and remanded Mercado to Schuylkill County Prison.
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Xavier Mercado
December 11, 2025 at 5:00 am
No follow up where the charges were dropped? A lovely little bit of slander, way to do the bare minimum.
Canary Commenter
December 12, 2025 at 12:15 am
Court records available to us show that on June 25, a guilty plea on a charge of evading arrest or detention on foot was entered before Schuylkill County Judge James Goodman and a sentence of 102 days-23 months in jail was imposed. Parole was granted on July 29 by Judge Goodman. There is nothing on the record about charges being dismissed.
Also, for the record, this article reflects and properly attributes all claims to the police filing the charges. Nowhere does it presume the suspect is guilty. Therefore, the article is 100% accurate, according to the charging documents filed in District Court earlier this year.
If documents exist proving that charges were dismissed, we’ll gladly update the article to reflect that fact. We’ll even go one step further and check with your attorney in this case to confirm.