A Bucks County jury found a Falls Township man not guilty on charges that could have put him away in state prison.
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Brian L. Blackshire, 39, of Falls Township’s Levittown section, was found not guilty last week on charges of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon, simple assault, and harassment following a two-day trial before Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Finley, according to court papers.
Blackshire was arrested by Falls Township police last August and charged with confronting two teens who ding-dong ditched his home. Police alleged Blackshire assaulted a teen and pointed a gun at one.
Police said the teens were 12.
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An investigator wrote in court papers that Blackshire denied pointing a gun at the teens and he did not know their age, but he knew they were teens.
In court, Blackshire’s defense attorney, Paul Lang, made the case his client was in a “total panic” when the “young punks kicked at his door so loud the entire house shook. And they did it twice and left their footprints in the door.”
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“He had zero idea the hooded figures he saw out the window were juveniles. Sadly, the government never gave him a chance to even explain himself,” Lang said. “Instead, Brian was sent into a dystopian hell where he was facing two years in state prison based on the obvious lies of the two teens who were never even charged with their criminal behavior.”
Lang called the investigation done by Falls Township police “pathetic.”
The attorney added that the teens’ testimony contradicted what they claimed had happened.
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“I’m happy [Blackshire] can continue to be the great friend, step-father, and worker he’s always been,” Lang said.
Deputy District Attorney Megan Stricker said when asked about the verdict: “I respect the jury’s decision.”
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“Officer Stecklair is a veteran officer who has a well-earned reputation for being extremely thorough in his investigations. At times, the adversarial nature of our criminal justice system can lead advocates to colorful wordcraft in the pursuit of their client’s interests. We are all professional enough to understand that these efforts at persuasion to juries and judges are simply part of the process,” Falls Township police Chief Nelson Whitney said.
Awaiting trial, Blackshire had been free on bail.
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