A 20-year-old Pottsville man charged with attacking a woman with a machete inside his father's house and then setting it on fire in the city May 25 had charges against him held to court during a preliminary hearing Friday.
Stephen S. Campion Jr., 305 Howard Ave., appeared on charges of one felony count each of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, arson-endangering persons, causing or risking a catastrophe, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon-endangering property and criminal mischief, as well as seven misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and one misdemeanor count each of simple assault and terroristic threats.
After hearing about 40 minutes of testimony, Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley determined the commonwealth proved a prima facie case and ordered all 16 offenses held for Schuylkill County Court.
Pottsville police Patrolman Renee Galle charged Campion with attacking a friend - Barbara Hummel - with a machete while she slept in the basement of his father's home, where he also lives.
Hummel told the court she was sleeping on a couch after visiting the home with Campion when the attack occurred.
"I was hit in the head with a machete," she said, adding that after opening her eyes, she saw Campion holding the weapon.
The man then proceeded to use the machete to hit her in the left and right shoulder causing severe injuries that required her to be admitted to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.
Hummel then said Campion soaked her with lighter or charcoal fluid and also poured it on the couch she was on.
"I was soaked, I begged him not to kill me," the soft-spoken woman said.
After Campion let the couch on fire with a cigarette lighter, Hummel said, "I tried telling him not to kill me, he was just laughing."
He then threw a chair onto the burning couch and then threw it at her, causing additional injuries. Hummel said Campion left and she went upstairs to alert seven other people who were inside that the house was on fire.
Everyone else in the home escaped injury, Hummel said.
Under cross examination, Hummel said she has been friends with Campion for several years and has never seen him act the way he did or threaten or assault her.
"I'm pretty sure he was on some kind of speed, he was not himself," Hummel said.
Galle, who did not testify, said in her affidavit of probable cause that Campion also held Hummel down on the burning couch before fleeing.
She said that Patrolman Joseph Murton, the department's arson investigator, said the evidence at the house after the blaze was extinguished was consistent with Hummel's account of the attack and fire.
Stephen Weiss, Campion's father, told the court the blaze caused extensive damage to the basement, kitchen, a bathroom and other areas of the house.
He estimated damage to be in excess of $10,500.
After testifying, Weiss left the courtroom but stopped by his son and said, "I love you, behave."
Stephen Campion simply replied, "I love you, too."
Reiley ordered Campion returned to Schuylkill County Prison where he is being held on $250,000 straight cash bail set at the time of his arraignment.