CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man who shot himself in the leg and was later charged with aggravated assault was scheduled for court Wednesday.
Brandon E. Hutson Sr., 34, is charged by Clearfield Regional police with felony possession of firearm prohibited and aggravated assault; misdemeanor reckless endangerment (three counts); and misdemeanor disorderly conduct, use/possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana for his actions Feb. 4.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, around 12:21 a.m., officers were dispatched to Clearfield Penn Highlands Hospital for a gunshot wound patient.
The male patient, identified as Hutson, was reportedly being uncooperative and combative with medical staff, and also became extremely hostile with police upon their arrival.
Officers saw Hutson had blood coming from his right leg, just above his ankle. But, he refused to tell officers what happened to him and instead demanded to know if he was being detained or arrested.
When advised of his arrest for disorderly conduct towards staff, he got up and began to rant. He reportedly challenged police to “come get him,” and when they took him by the arms, he resisted and tried to get free.
When officers were taking Hutson to the ground, hospital equipment was struck and subsequently fell. He was detained, helped to his feet and placed on the hospital bed where he wanted to fight with police.
Hutson was held in place by officers who asked again what happened to him. He claimed he was trying to buy marijuana, and one of the men shot him in the alley near Mary’s bar.
Once medical staff were able to place restraints on Hutson, police removed handcuffs for him to receive treatment.
Officers responded to the bar and when they advised those there of the incident, it was learned that no one had heard or seen anything.
Police also spoke with Hutson’s live-in girlfriend who said he’d left their apartment but came back saying he was hurt. She thought he’d poked himself with something.
She said Hutson waited there until she eventually transported him to the hospital.
Police canvassed the downtown area looking for where the incident could have possibly occurred but were unable to locate any evidence.
So, they returned to Hutson’s apartment building on Market Street and spoke with a downstairs neighbor who thought they’d heard a gunshot upstairs.
They told officers how Hutson and his girlfriend often argue and how they’ve also heard Hutson striking the woman.
Police did a follow-up interview and this time the woman was willing to provide incident details.
She said the couple—but mainly Hutson—was in a verbal argument because Hutson was accusing her of cheating and wanted to go through her phone.
When she came out of the bathroom, she reportedly heard a gunshot. The woman said she yelled at Hutson, and when asked what he was doing, Hutson stated that he just shot himself in the foot.
She showed officers where this occurred in the bedroom and they observed blood, blood splatter and a hole in the floor boards, as well as a bag of marijuana on the dresser with paraphernalia.
Afterwards, the woman said she took Hutson’s gun and hid it in the closet, adding she has a lot of guns in the apartment but no longer wants them there. She asked officers to take them.
Police explained they could and the firearms could be turned over to relatives at a later time, except for the gun used by Hutson, as it would be seized as evidence.
Inside a tote in the closet, officers located a purse containing handguns including the 9mm used by Hutson. The woman admitted ownership of them but did say Hutson had control over them.
She said Hutson kept the 9mm under the bed and that when she brought the firearms to the apartment, they were all unloaded.
But, every gun located by officers was reportedly loaded and a spent shell casing was under the bed. In the bedroom, there was also around 500 rounds on stripper clips, as well as loaded mags for an SKS rifle. The woman showed police the rifle’s location, saying it belonged to a relative.
Police later confirmed the round fired by Hutson entered the floor of the couple’s apartment, then into the ceiling of the downstairs apartment before ultimately falling to the ground.
The bullet was collected as evidence and police learned two small children were in the bedroom next to the kitchen where the bullet exited the ceiling.
Hutson waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday, sending his case to county court for further disposition. Bail is currently set at $100,000, monetary.