Police: Brackenridge man, ordered to stay away from woman, found sleeping on her sofa

A Brackenridge man accused of defying a judge’s order by crawling through the window of a woman’s house and refusing to leave has been ordered to stand trial.

Daniel Robert Gates, 46, of the 1000 block of Third Avenue was charged with a felony count of criminal trespass in connection with the alleged incident March 28.

Gates was detained without bond in the Allegheny County Jail following his arrest, according to court records.

The next day, a judge denied a request that Gates be released from custody on a nonmonetary bond, court records show.

Gates waived his right to a preliminary hearing during an appearance , April 5 before District Judge Carolyn Bengel, who ordered him to stand trial on the charge, court records show. His formal arraignment in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court is scheduled for May 22.

Officers responded to the woman’s home shortly after 9 a.m. and found Gates asleep on the sofa, according to a criminal complaint.

Police said they contacted an Allegheny County assistant district attorney who told them Gates agreed March 23 to an order issued by Judge Thomas Flaherty that he not return to the woman’s house, the complaint said.

The woman told officers that Gates unlocked a window the last time he was at the house so he could get back inside, the complaint said.

In February, Gates was ordered to stand trial on charges of simple assault and harassment filed by Brackenridge police in January 2022. A nonjury trial before Flaherty is scheduled for July 6, court records show.