A New Florence-area man was jailed last Thursday for allegedly hitting a police officer and threatening her following a traffic stop.
St. Clair Township police officer Danielle Evans attempted to pull over 74-year-old Harold Smyder for speeding on Route 711, but he drove more than a half-mile to his home just west of the Laurel Valley school complex, where he got out of his car against her orders, then started aggressively walking toward her, yelling at her. Evans told Smyder she was detaining him for her safety but he swung away from her when she tried to handcuff him, the cuff hitting her in the face. She eventually subdued him, but when officers from Ligonier and St. Clair Township arrived, Smyder told them he could easily grab her gun and shoot her.
Smyder is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, resisting arrest, and exceeding the speed limit by 17 miles per hour. He was placed in the Westmoreland County Prison with bond set at $10,000.
