CLEARFIELD, Pa. (GANT) – A jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes Thursday afternoon before convicting a Coalport man of attacking another man.
(This article was provided by our News Partner GantDaily.com.)
Gary L. Quick, 45, was convicted of felony aggravated assault, as well as misdemeanor strangulation, simple assault (two counts), terroristic threats and disorderly conduct.
He was also acquitted of two counts of aggravated assault.
District Attorney Ryan Sayers prosecuted the case on behalf of the commonwealth. Quick was represented by defense attorney Patrick Lavelle.
According to trial testimony, Rockview state troopers were located near a Philipsburg church Aug. 29, 2023 when they were approached in-person and requested to investigate the assault.
When Trooper Cody Doran arrived on-scene in the 600-block of Laura Street in Chester Hill Borough, he encountered Quick and ordered him to the ground.
Quick did but got up, he said, and had to be physically assisted back to the ground by troopers. He was restrained and detained until the arrival of EMS and Clearfield state police.
“He was sweating profusely and acting erratically,” testified Doran, adding he was constantly screaming and yelling “random” things that were just really bizarre.
A paramedic with Moshannon Valley EMS arrived on-scene to find troopers restraining Quick. She assessed him but indicated she was unable to gather basic information from him like his name, date of birth and address.
When Quick was being prepared for medical transport, she said he continued to scream, acting combatively and spitting on her. This caused her to cover his mouth so he could no longer spit on her or troopers.
She said Quick did admit to having used marijuana but noted it’s often laced with other substances, which prompted her to administer medication for “excited delirium” to calm him down.
The victim told jurors how Quick showed up at his home and attacked him after he refused to let him inside.
He said Quick struck him in the back of the head and threw him to the ground. He then started choking him, threatening that he was going to die, along with another relative of the victim who had already been deceased for years.
At one point, he said a neighbor came outside yelling at Quick, which ended the physical assault. Quick followed her into her home, then went to another neighbor’s where he “ripped out” flowers and threw them at her.
The victim thought Quick left the area but said he came back, striking him with his car and causing him to fall into his own car. During the attack, he suffered injuries to his chest, back of his neck and right elbow.
The pain from his chest injury lasted for approximately five to six months, he said. He concluded his testimony, saying his neighbor “saved my life.”
Both of the victim’s next-door neighbors corroborated his story.
Cpl. Timothy Wesesky of Clearfield state police photographed the scene, noting the passenger side mirror was pushed in and there was an apparent blood smear on the door.
Quick chose not to testify, and there were no defense witnesses.
Jurors entered their deliberations around 2:20 p.m. and reached their verdict around 3:05 p.m. The jury was polled afterwards, confirming their decision.
“I appreciate the jury taking its time to consider each of the charges and coming to a well-reasoned decision in this case,” said Sayers.
He commended the work of the Pennsylvania State Police—specifically Trooper Eric Neidrick—as well as Moshannon Valley EMS.
“Their part in this investigation helped it come to this result in getting justice for [the victim].”
With a felony one conviction, Sayers said Quick is looking at a minimum of five years incarceration.
Quick’s bail is currently set at $75,000 monetary.
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