LOCK HAVEN - Jonathan Wesley Gadd, 36, formerly of Mordred Drive in Mill Hall, was convicted of four separate charges by a Clinton County jury on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 after a 1-day trial.  The jury found the defendant guilty of Resisting Arrest, a misdemeanor of the second degree; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, an ungraded misdemeanor; Possession of a Controlled Substance, an ungraded misdemeanor; and Escape, a felony of the third degree.

The charges stemmed from a May 4, 2021 report of a suspicious individual, found on the rocks along the dike levee on West Water Street in the City of Lock Haven.  Three separate local law enforcement officers testified at the trial, including Sergeant Stephen Nero of the Lock Haven City Police Department, who stated that when law enforcement officers responded to the scene, they encountered Gadd, who had an active bench warrant for his arrest following his failure to appear in court in October 2020.  As officers detained Gadd by grabbing both of his arms, Gadd pushed free from their detention and began to flee, forcing Sergeant Nero to deploy a Taser to incapacitate Gadd.  Officer Wesley Alexander of the Lock Haven City Police Department and Clinton County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Breon shared similar testimony concerning the incident.

When officers searched Gadd following his arrest, they located a small vial containing four pills later identified as buprenorphine, a Schedule III controlled substance, along with two syringes and a spoon covered in a chalky, white residue.

Gadd’s attorney, Andrea Pullizzi, suggested that Gadd was not trying to escape, but was merely attempting to turn around to smoke a cigarette prior to going to jail.  The Commonwealth was represented by Clinton County First Assistant District Attorney, R. Thom Rosamilia, who argued that Gadd’s intentions were clear when he provided officers with a false name, then physically removed himself from their grasp and attempted to run in the opposite direction from the officers.

The jury deliberated for approximately one hour before returning a guilty verdict on all four charges.  Gadd is scheduled for sentencing on March 21, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison.