A Schuylkill County man was jailed earlier this week after State Police allege he fired a gunshot inside his home to frighten his fiancée and then struck her in the face during a domestic dispute on Monday evening.
A minor child was in the home at the time the shot was fired, police say.
Troy Dewitt, 38, of Wayne Township, was taken into custody following the incident reported at about 6 p.m. on Dec. 8 at a home along Moyers Station Road.
Police say they were dispatched to the home for a report of a domestic disturbance involving a discharged firearm.
The victim told police she was preparing dinner when she and Dewitt began arguing. She said that during the argument Dewitt went upstairs to the couple’s shared bedroom. Shortly after, the victim reported hearing a gunshot, which scared both her and her child.
The victim told police she went upstairs to check on Dewitt, fearing he may have harmed himself. When she made contact with him, Dewitt allegedly told her, “I bet that scared you.”
Police report their verbal altercation continued, at which point Dewitt struck the victim in the face with a closed fist. The victim had a bloody lip and swelling and bruising to the inside of her lower lip.
Dewitt reportedly fled the residence in the victim’s vehicle but was located by Troopers a short time later at the intersection of Moyers Station and Fair roads.
During the traffic stop, police determined Dewitt was driving with a DUI-suspended license and expired registration. A search incident to arrest allegedly yielded suspected methamphetamine in Dewitt’s possession. A further search of the vehicle – granted by the victim – revealed a glass smoking device in the glove box, police say.
Police then searched the residence and located a spent shell casing on the floor of the master bedroom. A bullet hole was found in the bedroom wall that exited into an adjacent bedroom. The scene was processed by the State Police Forensic Services Unit.
Dewitt was taken before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker and arraigned on a felony count of discharging a firearm into an occupied structure as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.
Kilker set bail at $100,000 and Dewitt was sent to Schuylkill County Prison. A preliminary hearing before Judge Casimir Kosciolek (Tremont) is scheduled for Jan. 29, 2026.
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