Jeannette man seeks dismissal of attempted murder charges

A Jeannette man wants attempted murder charges against him dismissed because he was not present when a man and juvenile were wounded during a robbery at a Sutersville home.

Police contend Aaron Brown, 27, provided the weapons used in the Nov. 16, 2018, incident and, as a result, was charged with two counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault, burglary, robbery and conspiracy.

Brown, according to prosecutors, provided a handgun, an Airsoft gun and a Kevlar vest to three men who conspired with to rob known drug dealers of their money.

The robbery’s target was shot in the right arm. A juvenile was shot in the leg and left hip and sustained a spinal fracture and other internal injuries in the shooting, according to court records.

In court documents filed Wednesday, defense attorney Ken Noga, said there is no basis for attempted murder counts against Brown.

“When viewed in the light most favorable to the commonwealth, the defendant was, at best, an accessory before the fact to a robbery attempt,” Noga wrote.

He suggested prosecutors cannot prove that Brown planned the robbery or encouraged the others who were charged to shoot the victims.

Brown is being held at Westmoreland County Prison in lieu of a $250,000 bond. His case was consolidated with the prosecutions of co-defendants, Curtis Thomas Everett, 26, of Glassport; Chad William Wolfe, 34, no known address; and Dylan John Vasko, 21, of Elizabeth.

According to court records, Vasko testified against his co-defendants during a preliminary hearing and claimed the group scouted out the target of the robbery, purchased dark clothing from a Walmart store, drove to Jeannette to get the weapons and then returned to Sutersville. The defense contends Vasko said Brown remained in the car with Wolfe and a woman when the shooting occurred.