Falls Township officers took one man into custody early Thursday morning after he allegedly started a fight at a local bar and then tried to hide in a wooded area near Jo-Jo’s Ice Cream.
Michael Hutcheon, 37, of Philadelphia, was charged with one felony count of taunting a police animal, one misdemeanor count of false alarm to an agency of public safety, one misdemeanor count of terroristic threats, one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest, one misdemeanor count of false identification to law enforcement, one misdemeanor count of loitering and prowling at night, one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and one summary charge for public drunkenness.
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According to officers, they responded to Pennsbury High School at 1:30 a.m. after responding to a 9-1-1 call that a male subject was armed and firing his weapon. Despite an intense search, officers could not locate the armed subject. As noted by emergency officials, the male caller refused to identify himself while on the phone with personnel.
Police noted in a probable cause affidavit that around 1:12 a.m., officers were already tracking a male subject who had according to police, started a fight in the Band Box Bar, not far from Pennsbury High School.
Officers were able to track the man successfully with the use of K-9 dog Monte. According to court papers, Monte was able to track the man behind a group of homes located on Amelia Drive. A baseball hat and a bottle of whisky were also found in the same location. The male, later identified as Hutcheon, was found hiding under dense brush to the rear of Jo-Jo’s Ice Cream.
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According to officers, while Hutcheon was repeatedly asked to show his hands and come out with them up, he refused, was verbally abusive towards the officers and even kicked Monte in the face. Monte was released by the officer in an effort to recover him from his hiding place.
In a probable cause affidavit, Lt. Hank Ward removed Monte from the scene after being worried the dog would be injured in the incident. After Ward asked the man to come out with his hands up again, Hutcheon said “come in and get me, punk.” As observed by Ward, Hutcheon was seen hiding in the brush, wearing only a muscle shirt.
With the belief that Hutcheon was not armed, Ward dove into the brush head-first in an effort to get close to Hutcheon and pull him out. “If you come in here I am going to kill you,” Hutcheon reportedly said.
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When Hutcheon put his hands in a fighting motion, Ward then sprayed him with pepper spray, which reportedly had no effect. Ward then pushed Hutcheon to Sgt. Ray Fanelli, who was able to pull him out. Both Ward and Fanelli worked to put handcuffs on Hutcheon. According to officers, it took three officers to get Hutcheon into a marked police vehicle once in police custody.
Hutcheon was transported to the hospital, where he continued to struggle with officers while he had the pepper spray washed off.
When officers went back to the scene, they noted a cell phone was found. Officers recorded in court documents it was the same phone that had been used to make the fraudulent 9-1-1 call about the armed man outside the high school.
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Hutcheon was arrested earlier in the year on three misdemeanors, including simple assault, terroristic threats, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Regarding Thursday morning’s incident, Hutcheon was sent to prison on 10 percent of $300,000 bail. He awaits a preliminary hearing with District Judge Jan Vislosky set for June 3.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
