Jury selection started Wednesday in the attempted murder trial of a Penn Township man accused of firing a rifle at police who responded to a domestic call at his home more than four years ago.

The case against Jody Martz, 56, was delayed for years as attorneys argued a series of pretrial issues and, later, was put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

About 100 potential jurors were summoned to the courthouse and 76 appeared for the case, divided into three areas — a courtroom, jury waiting room and a first-floor meeting room — where they underwent initial questioning from Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears. The judge addressed about a third of the jurors in a large second-floor courtroom and simultaneously broadcast to potential panelists in the other locations.

Individual questioning of jurors was conducted upstairs in Mears’ third-floor courtroom.

The criminal case against Martz is among the oldest pending in the county.

He was charged with 16 offenses, including attempted murder, assault of a police officer and multiple counts of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment in connection with the Aug. 31, 2016, incident at his Thomas Street home.

Police said Martz fired a .270-caliber rifle through a wall as officers gathered outside after they responded to call that Martz was drunk and assaulted guests at his wife’s home decorating party. One round tore a hole in the uniform of a Penn Township police officer, who was not injured.

Defense attorney Jeff Monzo, in a previous court hearing, said Martz was drunk during the party but another judge ruled last year that Martz cannot argue at trial that his intoxication mitigated the incident.

Martz served nearly three years in jail after his arrest but was released on nominal bond in May 2019 when Judge Tim Krieger ruled his right to a speedy trial was violated.

Martz was again jailed last December after police charged him with witness intimidation. According to court records, police said Martz was drunk and threatened a potential witness in his upcoming trial.

Jurors will hear evidence in both cases during the trial, which is expected to take about five days and include nearly 40 potential witnesses.

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