Judge reinstates house arrest for Jeannette man charged with assault of county detective

A Westmoreland County judge has reinstated house arrest for a Jeannette man accused of breaking into an off-duty county detective’s home last year and assaulting him.

The reversal by Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger came after the alleged victim, Detective Nick Caesar, voiced safety concerns about defendant Jonathan E. Craft being unsupervised and living just two blocks away.

“I have concerns,” Caesar said. “I live two blocks from the defendant, and I have a fundamental right to be safe. Home electronic monitoring gave me a bit of piece of mind. Without (house arrest), I don’t have that.”

Caesar, who sustained abdominal injuries in the August 2024 struggle, emphasized his dismay over the lack of supervision.

“At night, I don’t know if probation will be aware of where (Craft is) at. I didn’t have time to upgrade security at my home,” he said.

Caesar had initially voiced concerns and said he had a lack of confidence in the criminal justice system after learning Craft, 22, had been released from home supervision last week. Craft faces seven criminal charges, including burglary, aggravated assault and trespassing.

Authorities say Craft entered Caesar’s Jeannette home, headed toward the second floor, and when confronted, claimed, “My people sent me here.”

The two men struggled on the living room floor until police arrived and found Caesar holding Craft at gunpoint. Authorities seized marijuana, a THC pen, a knife and drug paraphernalia from Craft, they said.

An underlying issue in the case is Craft’s competency to stand trial. Last week, Krieger initially ruled Craft incompetent and lifted the house arrest order that had been in place since his release from jail last year.

Deputy Attorney General Kevin Scheibel said prosecutors want another evaluation “to be sure Craft’s competency cannot be restored,” a finding that would prevent prosecution from moving forward.

Defense attorney Brian Aston objected to the judge’s revised order, arguing his client cannot be prosecuted because of his diagnosis.

“His issues will never be resolved. He is incompetent, and the court cannot take action against him,” Aston said.

The attorney said Craft suffers from a traumatic brain injury caused by a near drowning as a child, which left him with cognitive disabilities that cannot be treated.

Aston noted Craft had not violated the terms of his house arrest and said an appeal of Krieger’s revised order is under consideration.

After hearing from Caesar on Wednesday, Krieger not only reinstated house arrest but also ordered Craft to undergo another competency evaluation by a doctor hired by the prosecution. The judge will conduct a hearing next month to determine if the charges against Craft should be dismissed.