Arrest made in domestic dispute
A Coal Center man was charged with driving an all-terrain vehicle through a bonfire after a domestic dispute with his girlfriend June 15.
A Coal Center man was charged with driving an all-terrain vehicle through a bonfire after a domestic dispute with his girlfriend June 15.
According to court records, Bruce Lynn Dingeldine, 49, was charged with strangulation, harassment, arson, simple assault and risking catastrophe.
PennWest California University Police and California Borough Police responded to the incident.
The victim was sitting by the fire with her son and his girlfriend when she got a Facebook message from a girl stating that Dingeldine was cheating on her, according to the criminal complaint. She asked her son to go inside so she could talk to Dingeldine alone.
Dingeldine then allegedly “lashed out” at the woman, taking the keys for his truck because she mentioned Dingeldine had been drinking all day. He proceeded to pick up a large boulder and attempted to throw it at his girlfriend’s bedroom window.
The girlfriend pushed Dingeldine to prevent him from breaking the window, according to the affidavit. She then ran behind Dingeldine’s truck, when he attempted to throw the boulder at her, but instead the rock hit the truck windshield.
Dingeldine proceeded to do donuts in the yard with the ATV, according to police. As the victim attempted to retrieve the side by side keys, Dingeldine grabbed her by the neck, threw her to the ground and attempted to run her over, police said.
According to the criminal complaint, Dingeldine drove over the outdoor fire multiple times as the victim’s son came outside to help his mother.
Dingeldine ran into the woods after jumping out of the ATV, according to the complaint, and when police arrived, the side by side was “engulfed in flames.” The son used a skid steer to push the vehicle into their pond.
Dingeldine crawled out of the woods when police attempted to locate him, and they took him to Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital.
Dingeldine was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Joshua Kanalis Tuesday morning and was sent to Washington County Correctional Facility in lieu of $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing before Kanalis is scheduled for 11 a.m. July 10.
