Two Schuylkill County men are accused of beating a man so severely that he suffered multiple facial fractures and a seizure, an assault police say began when one of the suspects accidentally sat on a birthday cake.
Police say John Stallworth, 32, of Saint Clair, and Delroy Rodney, 34, of Mahanoy City, assaulted the victim in the middle of Sunbury St., outside of a local establishment, in the early hours of March 28.
Warrants for their arrests have been obtained by Minersville Police. Both are being charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and conspiracy along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, and summary counts of harassment and disorderly conduct.
Police say they were dispatched to the 100 block of Sunbury St. shortly before 3 a.m. for a report of an assaulted man lying in the street. Police say they found the victim bleeding from his face, conscious but not alert. He was transported to Lehigh Valley East Hospital and later transferred to Lehigh Valley Cedar Crest Trauma Center due to the severity of his injuries. The victim later provided police with hospital paperwork confirming his facial fractures.
A witness at the scene told police she saw two men kicking and stomping the victim before fleeing in a red vehicle. The witness provided a description of the men’s clothing and the vehicle’s Pennsylvania license plate number, police say.
While police were interviewing the witness, they observed a red vehicle matching the description and license plate traveling west on Sunbury St. Police initiated a traffic stop in the 500 block.
Police identified the driver as Stallworth, who was wearing a black shirt and black pants, matching the witness’s description of one of the attackers. Police identified the rear passenger as Rodney, who had dreadlocks and was wearing a blue and white letterman jacket with white pants, matching the description of the second attacker.
At the time of the traffic stop, police say they were unaware of the extent of the victim’s injuries but information was gathered to identify and locate the suspects.
The victim told police he was helping Rodney carry a birthday cake to a vehicle after a party at that local business. The victim said he placed the cake on a seat inside the vehicle, but Rodney did not see it and sat on it, which didn’t sit well with him.
During a confrontation in the middle of the street, the victim told police Rodney attempted to punch him but missed. Stallworth then punched the victim in the back of the head, causing him to fall to the ground, the victim told police. While the victim was on the ground, both Stallworth and Rodney repeatedly kicked and stomped on his head and facial area, causing bleeding, bruising, and a seizure, according to the victim’s statement to police.
The witness later positively identified both Stallworth and Rodney from photographs as the men who assaulted the victim, police say.
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