CLEARFIELD – A Duncansville man convicted of assaulting a state trooper was sentenced Monday.
Jonathan M. Chirdon, 41, was sentenced by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to serve six months to one year in jail, plus two years consecutive probation for two counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault in connection with his actions in March of 2020.
Chirdon got into a scuffle with police while being transported to the county jail, which led to one officer being injured, according to court documents.
In April, Chirdon was found guilty of these charges but a mistrial was declared on a second assault case, which was the reason he was being transported in the first place.
Prior to sentencing, Chirdon addressed the court, stating that this incident would never have happened if he wasn’t intoxicated. This incident led to him seeking treatment and he has been sober for 15 months, he said.
According to the affidavit, while handcuffed, Chirdon was able to remove his seatbelt and was moving around in the back seat of the police car. The trooper who was driving pulled into a convenience store lot to secure him.
Two additional troopers arrived to assist him and put Chirdon into their two-man vehicle.
But he refused to put his legs into the back seat of the second vehicle and they had to struggle to get him in the car.
As they tried to put a seatbelt on him, Chirdon head-butted one of the troopers in the face and then lunged toward him again. The trooper was able to block him this time and held him back as they secured the seatbelt.
The officer suffered a contusion to his lip and a tear of his upper frenulum.
According to the affidavit in the initial case, a woman called for help because Chirdon, who was intoxicated, was refusing to leave her home and threatened her with a hunting-style knife, putting it to her throat.
At one point, she was able to lock herself in a room and call 911.
The trooper noted in the affidavit that when he saw the victim, she had long, thin, red markings and cuts to her throat and face.