SAINT CLAIR — A borough man was jailed after being arrested by Saint Clair police for assaulting and cutting a man with a sword Wednesday night.
William R. Long, 62, of 53 N. Second St., Apt. 1, was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault and one misdemeanor count each of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, prohibited offensive weapons and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Long was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer, Tamaqua, and committed to Schuylkill County Prison unable to post $100,000 straight cash bail.
Patrolman Frank DiMarco, the arresting officer, said that about 6:20 p.m. Suzanne Walkusky reported that her husband, Lee Walkusky, was stabbed by Long in his apartment and that her husband was to the rear of the Distilled Bar on North Second Street.
At the scene, DiMarco said he found Lee Walkusky with a stab wound to his left hand and EMS were contacted to respond.
The man reported that he went to see Long about money he owed him, and while inside the apartment Long got angry about being asked for the money and told Walkusky to “get the hell out of here,” DiMarco said.
Walkusky said Long then retrieved a long, double-edge sword from his bedroom and came after him with the sword aimed at his chest, the officer said.
DiMarco said Walkusky reported putting his left hand up to block the blade, causing him to get stabbed. Walkusky said he believed Long was trying to kill him and fled the apartment.
The man was subsequently taken to Schuylkill Medical Center-South Jackson Street for treatment, DiMarco said.
DiMarco said he and another officer went to Long’s apartment to take him into custody, but after answering the door the man went into the kitchen, grabbed a mop and began cleaning the floor.
There was odor of bleach and DiMarco said Long was ordered to stop since he may have been destroying evidence.
Long refused, continued to clean and became aggressive, throwing the mop into a sink and the starting to curse, the officer said.
The man was subsequently taken into custody and a sword matching the one described by Walkusky was found resting against a wall in Long’s bedroom.
Long will now have to appear for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon.