Derry Township man accused of attempted homicide after trip wire found at top of basement steps

A Derry Township man is accused by state police of installing a trip wire at the top of his basement steps this weekend in hopes that a woman there would fall down the wooden staircase, according to court papers.

William Joseph Dankesreiter Jr., 60, was jailed Sunday morning on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. His bail was set at $500,000, according to online court records.

Troopers were called to Dankesreiter’s Caldwell Lane home Saturday after a woman reported finding the trip wire, according to court papers. Police said she was headed into the basement to get something from a freezer for breakfast when she was able to catch herself from falling down the steps.

The woman told investigators she initially believed the wire was part of the carpeting that had come loose. But after retrieving a set of scissors, she noticed two metal eye hooks on either side of the doorway securing the wire about 3 inches above the carpet, according to court papers.

Police said the doorway leads to 10 wooden steps and at the bottom are a landing, cement block pillar and cement floor.

The woman told troopers that only she and Dankesreiter were at the home since Friday night when they used the staircase to bring groceries inside. Dankesreiter was not home when troopers were called Saturday morning.

He arrived there as police were investigating and requested to speak with an attorney after he was arrested, according to court papers. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.

He is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. A preliminary hearing is set for Friday. Dankesreiter does not have a publicly-available criminal history in Pennsylvania, according to online court records.