Clearfield County man accused of shooting at SUV on Route 22 at Indiana-Westmoreland border
Apr. 12—State police arrested a Clearfield County man over the weekend and charged him with shooting at another vehicle along Route 22 near the border of Indiana and Westmoreland counties, state police said.
Elijah N. Helmick, 23, of Osceola Mills, was arrested in connection with an incident at 5:39 p.m. Saturday along the westbound lanes of the highway near the Harry Boring Road intersection in West Wheatfield Township.
Troopers said Helmick was taken into custody without incident and arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, propulsion of missiles into an occupied vehicle and possession instruments of crime.
A Westmoreland County woman called Saturday to report that an unknown person driving a white Volkswagen who was headed westbound had just fired a handgun at a 2015 Jeep Renegade that she was in, state police spokesman Trooper Clifford Greenfield said.
No injuries were reported.
"Several minutes later, Helmick also contacted Troop A in Indiana and reported that he had shot at a vehicle and he was now in the area of Power Plant Road, (Indiana County)," Greenfield said.
Troopers located Helmick and the sedan he was driving. A single shell casing on the back seat was confiscated, police said. A Ruger EC9s 9mm handgun located inside the vehicle also was seized.
State police said the Jeep was occupied by the caller, a 31-year-old woman; two men, also 31, and all from Derry, plus two girls, ages 8 and 12 from Derry and Latrobe.
Troopers found a single bullet hole in the driver's side rear door of the Jeep, just under the window. The bullet was found to have lodged in the door but did not enter the passenger compartment, Greenfield said.
According to police reports, troopers learned that the occupants of the two vehicles, who were not previously known to each other, had an encounter a short time earlier Saturday as they drove Route 22 westbound in Cambria County. That encounter, which was reported to have involved a possible traffic violation and a bottle or bottles being thrown from one vehicle at another, remains under investigation, Greenfield said.
Helmick was arraigned Sunday and initially jailed on $50,000 bond. He was released Monday after posting bond from a bail bondsman, according to online court dockets.
Helmick has no prior criminal record in Pennsylvania, according to online dockets. A preliminary hearing is scheduled April 21.
Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@triblive.com or via Twitter .
