Jan 14, 2026 By Mike Jones 2 min read

A Westmoreland County man accused of firing his gun at another person outside a house party in Charleroi more than two years ago pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to jail.

Samuel Valle, 21, of Monessen, appeared Tuesday morning at the Washington County Courthouse and pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault for the Sept. 2, 2023, gunfight in the 600 block of Shady Avenue in the borough.

He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of receiving stolen property and simple assault in two other unrelated cases, and was immediately sentenced by Judge Traci McDonald to serve 2 to 6 years in jail.

Charleroi Regional police said a partygoer got into a disagreement with Valle and two others about a request that the man turn over his weapon at the house party. He refused and then left, but the three men followed him out when the gunshots rang out, prompting him to return fire in self defense, according to court documents. No one was hurt in the shooting, but police said they found 20 shell casings at the scene.

Valle had been facing attempted homicide in connection with the shots fired outside the house. No one else was charged in connection with the gunfight.

Valle was also charged in a domestic disturbance in which he assaulted his girlfriend in September 2024, which led to his guilty plea on the simple assault charge.

Valle was mistakenly released from the Washington County jail in December 2024 following confusion over his status for a separate case in Westmoreland County. It was not known he had been released until last February when Valle was set to appear for a hearing and his attorney, Chad Schneider, learned he had been allowed to leave the facility. Police arrested him in Washington last March, and he has been held without bond at the jail since that time.

Schneider said Tuesday that Valle has served about a year in jail so far, which is nearly half of the lower range of the 2- to- 6-year sentence.