A Schuylkill County man testified Monday that a night of heavy drinking with a former friend ended with him bloodied in the street after being struck multiple times with a baseball bat.
Rickylee Taylor, of Cressona, took the stand at a preliminary hearing in Pottsville against James Thomas, of Mount Carbon, who faces felony aggravated assault and related charges stemming from the February 2024 incident.
Taylor said Thomas and his wife invited him to their S. Centre Street home on Feb. 10, 2024, for “steak, scallops, and alcohol.”
He testified that it wasn’t unusual for him to spend time drinking with the couple. On this occasion, however, he said he consumed between 12 and 15 beers and about 7 to 10 shots before they decided to head to Goodfella’s bar in Mount Carbon.
On cross-examination, Taylor admitted bringing his own 12-, 15-, or 30-pack of Busch beer and stopping for pizza and a shot of vodka on the way. He later described himself as “toasted.”
At the bar, Taylor said Thomas became upset. He testified that Thomas’ wife mocked him for needing to vomit, and when Taylor joined in by calling him “a b**ch,” tensions escalated.
When the group returned to the Thomas home, Taylor said he was outside smoking a cigarette when headlights suddenly appeared. He alleged that Thomas drove his pickup toward him but instead struck Taylor’s truck before driving off toward Pottsville. Taylor said he then went inside the house and fell asleep on a couch, as he had been previously invited to stay overnight.
Later, Taylor testified, he was forced outside and saw Thomas approaching with a baseball bat. Believing he could grab it, Taylor stepped toward him but was struck in the face instead.
He said Thomas put him in a chokehold and continued hitting him in the legs with the bat. Bruising on his legs later confirmed he had been struck there, he said. Taylor also claimed Thomas smashed his truck’s windshield during the incident.
Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Cody Taft testified that when he arrived, Taylor was lying in the middle of S. Centre Street with facial bleeding, swelling, and lumps on his forehead. Thomas and others at the scene declined to answer questions that night, but Taft said Thomas later provided a written statement and sat for a recorded interview.
During cross-examination, defense attorney James Conville pressed Taylor on his alcohol use, marijuana smoking outside the bar, and his recollection of the night. Taylor admitted smoking a bowl of marijuana with Thomas’ wife and two older men, calling himself a lightweight with the drug. He maintained, however, that the violence was triggered because Thomas “felt emasculated” after being mocked.
Conville also challenged Taylor on whether he had been asked to leave the home, or if he had been in the Thomases’ bedroom. Taylor denied both.
Thomas’ visible reactions during testimony indicated he strongly disagreed with Taylor’s version of events.
Magisterial District Judge James Reiley bound all charges against Thomas over for Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas at the end of Monday’s hearing.
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