A Schuylkill County man is facing charges after he allegedly pushed a walker away from another man, pushed him to the ground and then punched him in the face.
According to court documents, the incident happened shortly before 10 p.m. on June 20 on Howard St. in Coaldale.
Police were dispatched to the emergency room at St. Luke’s Miners Memorial Hospital in the borough, where the alleged victim of this incident was receiving treatment.
The victim said he was asked by a friend to go to his ex’s house to get pictures of his children. He said he walked to the house and while outside, a blue truck pulled up to the scene. Behind the wheel was a man he knew as “Geo” – later identified as Geoffrey Bradford, 30, of Coaldale.
Bradford allegedly told the victim to leave the area because he was not welcome at that house. The victim said he began to walk away but walks slowly and with the help of a walker due to a prior injury.
He told police that he was apparently not walking away fast enough and that’s when Bradford allegedly threw his walker to the side, pushed him to the ground, and punched him in the head one time.
As he hit the ground, the victim says his medical alert lanyard went off and he called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Police say the vicitm did not have any head injury but did have a finger that wasn’t moving and stuck in a bent position.
When police went to the home where they believed Bradford to be, they say he saw them through the glass door but he turned and walked into another room of the home. Police say they told the aforementioned ex they wanted to speak with Bradford and she reportedly initially said she didn’t know who that was.
Eventually, police say Bradford spoke with them and he mentioned how the victim of this incident was not welcome at the home. He denied, however, having a physical altercation with the victim, saying it was just a verbal argument.
On July 1, police charged Bradford with simple assault and harassment. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 19.
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