CLEARFIELD – A Winburne man pleaded guilty Monday to assault charges in two separate cases for trying to run over two people with an all-terrain vehicle.
According to the affidavit in the first case from Oct. 10, Matthew Allen Rockey, 29, threw his girlfriend to the ground by her hair and punched her in the face three times before he hit her twice with an ATV as she tried to get away.
When she attempted to get on the ATV, he bit her on the arm before he threw her from the ATV and tried to hit her with it a third time. After that, he punched her again in the face, the victim told police.
The second case stems from an incident on Oct. 25 at the victim’s residence on Limb Road in Cooper Township.
This victim told police Rockey came to his residence on an ATV and when he told him to get off his property, Rockey, did a “donut” in his yard.
After the victim ran up to Rockey and told him again to get off his property, Rockey intentionally ran into the victim with the ATV.
The victim was able to grab onto Rockey while he was still on the vehicle, which caused him to be was dragged by the ATV for approximately 30 feet and then run over.
Eventually the victim was able to pull Rockey from the vehicle and Rockey then fled on foot.
In each case, Rockey pleaded guilty to simple assault and harassment for which he was sentenced by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to nine months to two years in state prison. The sentences will run concurrently.
In a third case, Rockey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor resisting arrest. He was given another concurrent sentence of nine months to two years state prison.
According to the affidavit in that case, Rockey, who was wanted for the other cases, was spotted by someone as he was on foot in Cooper Township on Oct. 31.
When state police got to the area and spotted Rockey, he looked at them and fled into a wooded area before they were able to take him into custody.
In addition, Rockey’s probation on a previous fleeing or attempting to elude police case from 2020 was also revoked.
For this, he received a period of incarceration of three months to two years in state prison giving him a total sentence of 12 months to four years in prison.