Canonsburg man faces new assault charge
A Canonsburg man already facing assault charges for allegedly choking a Houston woman earlier this month was arraigned Monday for reportedly striking a co-worker at a Canonsburg residential construction site.
Terry William Fretz, 42, of 347 E. Pike St., was arraigned by video Monday from the Washington County jail before District Judge David Mark on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment.
Borough police were called about 2 p.m. Saturday to Rose Avenue in the Apple Hill housing plan. Police found Bruce Opiela, 53, of Cecil, bleeding from the top of his head, nose and cheeks. There also was blood on the seat of a pickup truck and blood splattered on the side of the truck.
Opiela told Officer Matthew Tharp that a co-worker, later identified as Fretz, started talking about a 4-foot level he was missing. Opiela told police Fretz left his level at a job site and told the Canonsburg man he was not buying him a new one because he did not know what happened to it.
Other workers told police Fretz punched Opiela. Two workers pulled Fretz off Opiela, who suffered a broken nose and needed four stitches during treatment at Canonsburg Hospital.
Fretz was found by police walking on Second Avenue near Chartiers Avenue. He had blood on his hands and on the right leg of his blue jeans as well as on a sweatshirt he was carrying.
Fretz was taken into custody on a warrant obtained by state police last week on charges of simple assault and harassment for allegedly choking 45-year-old Tammy Hayman at their home in Houston. He is accused of grabbing her by the neck, choking her and throwing her on the floor. Fretz left before police arrived and the trooper obtained the warrant.
Fretz was arraigned Saturday before District Judge Jay Weller on the state police charges and placed in Washington County jail on $5,000 bond. Borough police obtained a warrant on the new charges from Weller Sunday.
Mark set an additional bond of $25,000 on the Canonsburg charges. A preliminary hearing on those charges is set for April 2 before Mark.