Jan 17, 2017 2 min read

A South Franklin Township man was arrested Sunday by state police on a warrant obtained last week on charges including robbery, assault and theft after he and another man allegedly assaulted a 48-year-old Washington man and stole his prescription pain medication.

Kyle Matthew Hilderbrand, 23, of 229 1/2 Old Scales Road, along with Timothy Jay Walker, Jr., 24, of 94 Dry Run Road, Prosperity, are accused of assaulting the man Sept. 25 and stealing his Oxycontin. Walker was arrested in November on charges of aggravated assault, robbery, criminal use of a communication device, theft, simple assault and tampering with evidence.

State police were called to Interstate 79 south near the Racetrack Road exit in North Strabane Township for a report of an assault. The man told police that he had been assaulted in a vehicle that was traveling on the highway before being ordered out of it after his prescription medication was stolen.

Police learned Walker picked up the man and took him to a Canonsburg pharmacy to have his prescription for the drug filled. After the prescription was filled, Walker and the victim drove to the highway.

When the vehicle as near the Racetrack exit, Hilderbrand reportedly came from the back of the sport utility vehicle, where he had been hiding, and got into the back seat, police said. Hilderbrand reportedly reached around the man’s neck and started hitting him with a hard object that may have been a handgun. The man told police that he was hit multiple times. Hilderbrand told Walker to pull to the side of the highway and then ordered the man to get out of the vehicle. Walker then reportedly drove Hilderbrand to the Jessop Place exit of Interstate 70 in Canton Township.

Police obtained a court order for Walker’s cellphone. The records showed multiple messages between he and Hilderbrand about their plans to steal the medication from the victim, police said. Hilderbrand also reportedly sent Walker a message telling him to delete his messages on Facebook when they were discussing the theft.

Hilderbrand was arraigned before District Judge Gary Havelka on charges of robbery, aggravated assault, criminal use of a communications facility, theft and simple assault. He is in Washington County jail on $25,000 bond and scheduled for a Jan. 26 preliminary hearing before District Judge Jay Weller.

Walker, who is free on $25,000 bond, is scheduled for a Feb. 24 formal arraignment.