CLEARFIELD – A Carlisle man charged with robbery, pleaded guilty to lesser charges Monday during plea and sentencing court.
Ryan Joseph Wells, 43, was originally facing two felony counts of robbery, and misdemeanor counts of strangulation and simple assault along with a summary harassment charge in connection with an incident that happened in October 2022 in DuBois.
Wells pleaded guilty on Monday to misdemeanor simple assault and theft. He received a jail sentence of 90 days to one year with two years of probation from President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman.
Because this case is designated as domestic violence, Wells will have to surrender any firearms he owns to authorities.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police were called to a West Washington Avenue home for an open 911 call from which arguments could be heard.
When they arrived, the victim explained that Wells came to her home and got into a fight with her. He started demanding her cell phone, which she refused to give to him.
He reportedly grabbed her, taking her to the ground, while attempting to grab the cell phone. This is when her leg was injured.
The victim said once they were on the ground, he grabbed her by the throat and strangled her “to the point she could not breathe.” She stated that she was afraid she was going to pass out. He then grabbed her phone.
A witness yelled at him to get off the victim, causing him to flee the scene with the phone and her vehicle’s key fob.
When officers spoke with the witness, he corroborated her story.