Scranton firefighter charged with assault, harassment after domestic incident

Dec. 8—A Scranton Fire Department lieutenant faces charges after city police say he knocked his wife into a wall when he forced open a door and then argued with her while holding a handgun last month at their East Mountain home.

A preliminary hearing for Timothy Sean O'Connor on charges of simple assault and harassment, originally scheduled for Wednesday at the Lackawanna County Criminal Justice Center, was continued to Dec. 27 at 10 a.m.

O'Connor, 44, 1216 Birch St., was placed on administrative paid leave pending an internal investigation immediately after city officials became aware of his arrest, Fire Chief John Judge said.

City police responded to the Birch Street address around 12:20 a.m. on Nov. 28 for a reported domestic disturbance involving a man who had left the home with a firearm, Patrolman Kevin Sweeney wrote in the arrest affidavit.

O'Connor's wife, Stacy, who was described as visibly upset and wincing from back pain, told police she and her husband had gotten into an argument about an hour earlier and he eventually left the residence, the affidavit said. She told police O'Connor had been drinking wine throughout the night.

Stacy O'Connor told police that when she saw Timothy O'Connor returning to the home, she went to the door and first tried to lock it and then tried to hold it shut to prevent him from entering. However, he forced the door open, knocking her backward into a wall, the affidavit said.

He then retrieved a handgun that was hidden above the kitchen cabinets and walked around the room with weapon in his hand as he argued with her, she told police, according to the affidavit. Their children were present but ran upstairs, she said.

Stacy O'Connor told police Timothy O'Connor did not make any threats with the gun or point the weapon at anyone before leaving the home a second time, the affidavit said.

After his arrest, Timothy O'Connor was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Terrence Gallagher and released on $50,000 unsecured bail.

City records indicate O'Connor was hired as a firefighter in March 2005. His salary as of September was $85,553 annually.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132