CLEARFIELD – The trial got under way Tuesday in Clearfield County Court for a Brockway man who’s been accused of striking and breaking a DuBois woman’s jaw.
Terrance L. Sloan, 43, has been charged by DuBois City police with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
First Assistant District Attorney Ryan Dobo is prosecuting the case on behalf of the commonwealth. Sloan is being represented by defense attorney Lance T. Marshall of State College.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred Nov. 26 at a South Main Street apartment in DuBois, according to trial testimony.
On the evening in question, the victim said she was awoken at about 7-7:30 p.m. by “banging” on her door, and when she answered, she saw three people standing on her porch.
One was an African-American male; another was a Caucasian female; and the third was a Caucasian male. She was asked if a male was there and she stated no.
She said when she attempted to close the door, the African-American male pushed the door back open. At this point, she ordered him out and called him a racial slur.
The victim testified the male punched her directly in the face with a closed fist, causing her to fall. She said she began crying and screaming, spit out a tooth and was in a lot of pain.
Once she fell to the floor, she said the group left. She said she was able to see who hit her because he was standing directly in front of her in the doorway to her home.
She said later that evening, she went to the Penn Highlands emergency room, but it was busy, she sat for hours, got very frustrated and left.
The victim said she eventually went back to the hospital, found out her jaw was broken in two places and that she’d lost a tooth. She also said she had to undergo oral surgery Nov.29.
Following the assault, she testified that her chin area remained numb, she was restricted to a liquid diet for about 10 days and missed at least one week of work.
Currently, she said she still has some trouble eating certain solid foods, and she continues to experience numbness, which affects her ability to speak for extended periods of time.
The victim said during her second ER visit, hospital staff contacted DuBois City police. She said she spoke with Officer Zayne Rhed and told him what had happened.
On Nov. 30, she said Rhed presented her with a photo lineup of possible perpetrators. She said she identified Sloan for the officer, testifying there “isn’t a doubt in my mind” it was him.
Under cross-examination, Marshall asked the victim why she didn’t call police immediately. She said she was more concerned about her pain and injuries.
She added she and her boyfriend had an idea as to the identity of her perpetrator, she had vehicle descriptions and knew police would be able to obtain surveillance from QCare.
When asked, the victim said she didn’t remain at the hospital Nov. 26 because it was busy and there were people waiting who were in far worse condition. She went home took Tylenol PM and slept
A witness said on the evening of Nov. 26, she went to the victim’s residence with three others, including Sloan, to look for a male who owed her money.
She said she rode in a silver Kia with another female and Sloan and another male were in a red Dodge Magnum. Because there wasn’t an answer at first, she said the other female kicked the door.
Once the victim opened the door, the witness said Sloan asked her if another male individual was there. She said the victim indicated he wasn’t and “words were exchanged.”
She said after Sloan was called a racial slur, he struck the victim in her jaw with a closed fist. When asked by Dobo, she said she had a clear view and no one else struck the victim.
The witness said after Sloan was arrested and incarcerated at the county jail, he called and asked her to tell investigating officers that another male committed the assault.
Cpl. Randy Young said police were able to review surveillance video from the clinic on Nov. 28, which showed a silver car park in the QCare lot. He said another car, a red Dodge, parked next to it.
He said that two Caucasian females got out of the silver car and an African-American male and Caucasian male got out of the red car, which had tinted windows and black rims.
He said they met behind the vehicles briefly before the men pulled their hoodies up and they all walked toward the victim’s apartment, then up onto her porch.
Dobo played two surveillance videos for the jury from the evening of the alleged assault. Later, on Nov. 28, Young said he saw the red vehicle parked at Sheetz.
Young said he initiated a traffic stop for window tint, and identified the driver as Sloan. He said he prepared a report and forwarded the information to Rhed.
Under cross-examination by Marshall, Young confirmed police were called by Penn Highlands at 5:30 a.m. Nov. 28, regarding a reported assault, which was about 34 hours after it occurred.
Rhed was last to testify and said he had brief contact with the victim after his initial dispatch. He collected basic incident details, vehicle descriptions and a physical description of the perpetrator.
He said he reviewed the surveillance and information Young gathered from the traffic stop. He and another officer compiled a photo lineup, which Rhed presented to the victim Nov. 30.
He said the victim was only told her perpetrator may or may not be in the lineup. However, he said it took her about 10 to 20 seconds to identify Sloan.
Judge Paul E. Cherry is presiding over the case. The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Courtroom No. 2 at the Clearfield County Courthouse.