DUBOIS – Two men charged with assault in unrelated incidents waived their rights to preliminary hearings Friday during centralized court in District Judge Patrick Ford’s office.
Kevin Alexander Kear, 27, of DuBois was charged by Sandy Township police with statement under penalty, simple assault, defiant trespass, terroristic threats and disorderly conduct after an incident on March 8.
Following a report from a woman saying Kear was threatening to shoot himself, police declared a state of emergency in the area of his Oklahoma-Salem Road residence, closing the roadway and evacuating neighboring residences as a precaution. School busses were also rerouted, according to the criminal complaint.
After several hours, Kear was reportedly taken into custody without incident.
An investigation into the gun revealed that Kear had purchased the gun locally within an hour of showing up at the victim’s door and threatening to kill her.
He allegedly answered questions during the background check falsely in order to purchase the gun.
Kear remains incarcerated at the county jail on $25,000 bail.
Eric C. Whitehouse, 51, also of DuBois, is charged with unlawful restraint, terroristic threats, simple assault, false imprisonment, recklessly endangering another person, driving under the influence and harassment.
According to the affidavit in this case, the victim said Whitehouse was acting erratically throughout the day on March 12, continually stating “we need to leave before they kill us”.
After ordering her to pack a bag, he suddenly grabbed her hair, began dragging her down a flight of stairs in their DuBois apartment building and forced her into a vehicle, police said.
As he drove, he reportedly kept his grip on her hair and head and continued to threaten her.
Police were able to stop the vehicle after seeing Whitehouse driving without having his hands on the steering wheel and shaking his hands at the passenger.
Whitehouse’s bail was lowered Friday from $25,000 to $10,000, but he remains incarcerated at the county jail.
