North Huntingdon man jailed after 3 township officers hurt during welfare check

A North Huntingdon man is being held in the county jail after police said three township officers were hurt when they performed a welfare check at his house earlier this month, according to court papers.

Kevin Michael Shouse, 23, is charged with several counts each of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, simple assault and harassment and single counts of marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police were called to Shouse’s Center Highway home on Dec. 16 at 11:30 a.m. to check on him after a 911 caller expressed concerns about his mental state, according to court papers. When they arrived, he was at the top of a staircase. Police said he picked up an 18-inch machete at one point and stood there facing officers.

Officers convinced him to put the machete down and sit on a couch downstairs. While police were talking to him, they said he tried to run into the kitchen and got into an altercation with officers, according to court papers.

Police said they had to use a Taser to subdue Shouse, who they said kicked, kneed and hit officers. One officer had a shoulder injury, another sustained an elbow injury and the third was kneed in the face, according to court papers.

Police said they found the machete, a hammer, 8 grams of marijuana and a bong where Shouse had been at the top of the staircase. He is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bond.

He didn’t have an attorney listed in online court records. Shouse does not have an adult criminal history in Pennsylvania, according to online court records.