GIRARDVILLE - A Butler Township man was jailed early Sunday, charged with threatening another man by trying to hold a knife to his throat.
Butler Township police Patrolman John C. Kaczmarczyk said Ricki Wickizer, 54, of 475 W. Mahanoy Ave., was charged with one felony count of aggravated assault, a misdemeanor count of simple assault and one summary offense each of disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. Wickizer was arraigned by on-call Magisterial District Judge Christina E. Hale, Frackville, and committed to Schuylkill County Prison unable to post $50,000 straight cash bail.
Kaczmarczyk said the charges are the result of an incident at Wickizer's home about 4:25 a.m., where officers were called for a report of an assault.
While en route, police learned the man had left the house, possibly armed with a knife and heading toward Girardville. However, police learned, apparently from the Schuylkill County Communications Center, that Wickizer returned to the home and a confrontation was under way with two others who reside there.
Upon arriving at the scene, Kaczmarczyk said officers found Wickizer standing at the door of the home yelling loudly, awakening several neighbors and causing them to look out of their windows.
Authorities managed to take Wickizer into custody without incident and officers interviewed the victim, Roy Hilbert, who said Wickizer tried to wake him up before the confrontation. Hilbert said when he would not wake up, Wickizer caused a disturbance inside the home and left.
When Wickizer returned a few minutes later, Hilbert said, he retrieved several knives from the kitchen and began waiving one at Jennifer Hilbert, another resident, and moved toward her.
Wickizer, Kaczmarczyk said, then began to move toward Roy Hilbert with the knife. At one point, Wickizer tried to place the knife at Roy Hilbert's throat, but Hilbert blocked him and grabbed his arm.
Wickizer left the home and went outside across the street to Jennifer Hilbert's 1996 Buick, where he cut both the front and rear passenger-side tires, Kaczmarczyk said, adding that police recovered the blade of a knife from a rear tire.
Wickizer will now have to appear for a preliminary hearing before Hale in her Frackville courtroom.