Penn Township man gets prison time for ax attack
A Penn Township man will serve up to 10 years in prison for attacking his former girlfriend and her boyfriend with an ax last year.
Benson William Perry, 37, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and burglary in connection with a March 2018 incident in North Irwin.
Police said Perry removed the front door from its hinges and barged into the apartment of Tonia Lucas and Tyler Hope. Perry brandished an ax and hit Hope with the weapon multiple times in the head and hand. Hope said he needed 11 staples to close his head wound. Lucas suffered head and hand wounds, police said.
According to court records, Perry also hit Hope in the head with a porcelain statue before he ran off. Neighbors found Lucas and Hope covered with blood, police said.
Prosecutors dismissed attempted murder and terroristic threats charges against Perry as part of the plea bargain approved this week by Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio. Perry will serve 3-10 years in prison.
In a separate case, the judge ordered Perry to serve a 3-24 month concurrent sentence. Police said Perry barged into the same apartment a month earlier, walked through an unlocked door, went upstairs, tackled Hope and punched him in the face.
In that case, Perry pleaded guilty to terroristic threats; assault and harassment counts were dismissed.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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