Man who caused Dry Tavern standoff pleads guilty
WAYNESBURG – A man who fired several shots from his Dry Tavern home’s rooftop last year because he thought “armed ninjas” and the comic book character Deadpool were breaking into his home pleaded guilty to charges from the resulting SWAT response Tuesday.
John William Pochron III, 32, of 980 N. Eighty-Eight Road, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in the Greene County intermediate punishment program, with the first three months to be served under house arrest with a GPS monitor. He was also ordered to complete 70 hours of community service and continue with his mental health treatment.
He pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and recklessly endangering another person. A charge of resisting arrest was previously withdrawn.
Pochron and his girlfriend, Holly Bercosky, were hospitalized for evaluations after the May 30, 2017, incident that prompted state police to close Route 88 in Dry Tavern for hours. Pochron said in court Tuesday the incident landed him in the psychiatric ward.
“I regret that more than you know,” Pochron told Judge Lou Dayich.
Police initially responded to what they believed to be an active shooter situation and found Pochron and Bercosky running from their home where the shots were fired. Pochron told police several people they did not know broke in and chased them to an upstairs bedroom. The couple was able to escape by climbing onto the roof. Pochron then jumped off the roof and ran across Route 88 carrying Bercosky.
Police did not find anyone when they searched the home and no one was injured during the incident.