DUBOIS – A Clearfield man’s case was held to court following a hearing before Magisterial District Judge Patrick N. Ford on charges that he assaulted another Clearfield man outside a DuBois bar.
Christopher A. Samsel, 26, faces a felony charge of aggravated assault and other counts after he allegedly used a metal baton to strike a Clearfield man in the head and in the back.
The man testified Friday that he was standing outside The Hitching Post at about 2:15 a.m. on July 30 while waiting to meet a friend to go to breakfast. Just then, he saw what he believed was his ex-girlfriend’s car turning into the bar’s parking lot.
The man said he did not want to have a confrontation, so he went back into the bar and used the restroom. When he came back outside, he said his ex-girlfriend was seen in the passenger side of Samsel’s truck.
The man testified that he asked Samsel if he had something to say. He said that it was then that Samsel jumped from the truck and began to chase him through the parking lot. The man was hit once on the head and twice on the back and shoulder.
After the incident, the man who was assaulted drove to the DuBois-based state police, located in Falls Creek. Police then called an ambulance to transport the man to the DuBois Regional Medical Center. He received five staples in his head at the hospital.
Upon cross-examination during the hearing, Samsel’s attorney, Ron Collins, asked the man whether there was a prior incident involving his ex-girlfriend. The main said that there was an incident about a month ago when his ex-girlfriend had marks on her but did not know why. The man received a harassment charge for the incident.
Officer Troy Bell of the DuBois City Police Department testified that Samsel gave him a statement declaring that he and the man’s ex-girlfriend had been at the bar together from about midnight. At 2:30 a.m. July 30, the woman told Samsel that they had to leave, and Samsel told the police that she seemed uncomfortable.
That was when Samsel said he saw the man walk into the restroom.
Ford held all charges against Samsel to court including aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct. Bail has been posted in the case.