Jeannette man accused of beating woman with chair, stealing her phone

A Jeannette man is behind bars after police said he beat a woman with a chair and stole her cellphone Saturday, according to court papers.

Leon D. Fair, 22, is charged with robbery, theft, reckless endangerment and related offenses.

City police were called to South Fifth Street at 11:20 p.m. for a report of a fight with a person down on the road. A woman told authorities that Fair beat her up and took her iPhone, according to court papers.

The woman had swelling above her left eye and complained of a headache but police said she refused medical attention.

Surveillance cameras showed the pair get into an altercation outside a South Fifth Street home when Fair tackled the woman into a set of porch furniture, according to court papers. As he left, the woman threw a chair at him and Fair returned, tackling the woman and hitting her numerous times, police said.

He kicked the woman and grabbed the chair she threw, hitting her in the torso and head before leaving the scene, police said. A witness told investigators she saw Fair punch the woman as the altercation moved toward the intersection of Chambers Avenue.

Fair was arraigned Sunday night and was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. A July 29 preliminary hearing is set. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.

Fair is awaiting a probation without verdict hearing set for September in a false identification and marijuana possession case filed earlier this year by Jeannette police. His recognizance bond in a separate theft case filed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania police has been revoked twice, according to online court records.