FRACKVILLE - A 36-year-old Ashland man charged with assaulting police, forcing them to use their Tasers to take him into custody in Ashland on Sept. 23, waived his right to preliminary hearings Wednesday on two separate sets of charges.
John J. Magdeburg of 1319 Spruce St. was arrested by Ashland Police Chief Mark O'Hearn and charged with escape, resisting arrest, obstructing highways, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. Those charges stem from a 10:25 incident on Route 54 near Washington Park.
In a separate incident that happened around 10:55 a.m. on South 17th Street, O'Hearn charged Magdeburg with aggravated assault, escape, resisting arrest and other counts.
O'Hearn said in the first incident, Butler Township Police Patrolman John Kaczmarczyk received a call about a man under the influence and found Magdeburg on Route 54 sweating, bouncing back and forth and making little sense.
Kaczmarczyk managed to get Magdeburg to get on his knees and place his hands behind his head, but the man resisted when being placed in handcuffs, O'Hearn said.
The chief said a marked Lehigh County Sheriff's vehicle with two deputies who were driving by stopped to assist and they were able to get Magdeburg inside the Butler Township Police cruiser.
Around 10:55 a.m., Kaczmarczyk was transporting Magdeburg at the request of Ashland Police when, in the 1700 block of Centre Street, he began to hit his head off of the partition and side windows of the cruiser.
O'Hearn said Kaczmarczyk stopped his vehicle because Magdeburg was out of control and kicking the doors and windows. He opened the back door slightly to order the man to calm down, but he jumped out and began kicking, jumping and flailing striking both officers. O'Hearn said Kaczmarczyk deployed his Taser and stunned the man.
Magdeburg continued to resist, they said, and at one point O'Hearn said Magdeburg grabbed his hand and squeezed and also wrapped a leg around his and continued to kick, hitting both officers.
Back up units were called. Mount Carmel Police Chief Todd Owens then used his Taser and the officers were finally able to get Magdeburg back inside the cruiser, O'Hearn said.
O'Hearn said he and Patrolman Philip Schlegel transported Magdeburg to Schuylkill Medical Center South Jackson Street for evaluation but he refused treatment. While getting Magdeburg back in the cruiser the chief said he became adversarial and combative, resulting in Pottsville Police being called to assist.