Criminal call hearings are scheduled today for Indiana County’s Court of Common Pleas, including one for one of the suspects in a car theft in White Township last year.
State police charged 34-year-old Michael Pucciarelli of Pittsburgh with attempted aggravated assault, fleeing or eluding police, theft, conspiracy to theft, two counts of criminal mischief and 25 summary driving counts connected with an incident on August 30th at the Walmart on Oakland Avenue. He and 30-year-old Rehny Little of Homestead found the keys on the dashboard of the car, and a trooper spotted the car going west on Route 422. Several others joined the chase and multiple PIT maneuvers were employed to try to stop Pucciarelli, one of which turned him around, heading back toward Indiana. A spike strip was deployed near Margaret Road, flattening a tire, but he kept going and after he intentionally hit another pursuing cruiser, he was finally stopped by two police vehicles that pinned him against a guiderail. Police had to use a taser to subdue Pucciarelli.
Little was to be in court for a criminal call hearing today, but that has been delayed until April.
Criminal Call is designed to update the court and the parties involved on the progress of a case. Proceedings are usually postponed to a later date, but on occasion, guilty pleas have been entered at the Criminal Call phase.
