Schuylkill County Man Reportedly Found Unresponsive in Smoke-Filled Apartment, Spits Blood on Police

An Orwigsburg man was jailed following an incident over the weekend during which he was allegedly found unresponsive in his smoke-filled apartment and later spit blood on a police officer.
 
According to court documents, police in the borough were called to a basement apartment on S. Wayne St. shortly after 10 p.m. on June 7. Fire personnel on the scene said they had a male unresponsive and slumped over on a chair and were working to get him out of the basement, which was filled with smoke.
 
Firefighters eventually removed the man – identified as Thomas Beach Jr., 33 – from the apartment. They say Beach was surrounded in his chair by a partially drunk bottle of Bushmills whiskey and multiple empty beer cans.
 
Beach was reportedly told by police he could not enter his apartment until fire officials cleared the scene. However, Beach reportedly tried to get back into his apartment several times. Police say Beach ultimately ignored them and went down to his apartment.
 
Beach was told again to get out of the apartment and police say they tried to get him out but while leading him upstairs, he fell backwards. That’s when, police say, Beach got confrontational an officer and aggressively moved toward him, taking a swing at him but missing.
 
In missing, Beach allegedly knocked the microphone off the officer’s uniform. Police say they struck Beach in the face, knocking him to the ground and placing him under arrest. 
 
While trying to get his hands behind his back, police say Beach continued to fight and resist. In that fight, Beach allegedly spit his own blood at an officer’s face and got tased but it had no effect due to the layers of clothing he was wearing, police say.

Beach was arraigned early Sunday morning before District Magistrate Stephen Bayer and charged with aggravated assault, a felony, along with misdemeanors for simple assault, resisting arrest, and obstructing emergency services.

Bayer set bail at 10% of $5,000, which was posted on Monday. A preliminary hearing is currently scheduled for June 17.

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