Westmoreland judge: Case against Greensburg man accused of threatening woman can proceed

Assault charges against a Greensburg man accused of threatening to shoot his live-in girlfriend last year can be prosecuted, a Westmoreland County judge has ruled.

Chad Neil Snyder, 33, was charged with two counts each of simple assault and making terrorist threats after police said that on Nov. 8, 2018, he and his girlfriend, Brittani DeWitt, argued and that he threatened to kill her after she asked him to leave their home.

According to court records, DeWitt told police Snyder became enraged at her request. As he placed three guns into a bag, he loaded a rifle and threatened to shoot her while she was in bed with the couple’s baby.

The attorney for Snyder contended there was not enough evidence to support the charges after DeWitt refused to testify at a previous court hearing. Assistant District Attorney Pete Caravello said Wednesday that DeWitt failed to appear in court for the hearing last year. In court documents, defense attorney Marco Sylvania wrote that DeWitt intended to invoke her constitutional right not to testify at trial.

Westmoreland County Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled the case against Snyder can move forward with the testimony of Greensburg police officer Regina McAtee, who questioned DeWitt immediately after the incident and a second time at the city’s police station.

McAtee was the only witness to testify at a pretrial hearing last year and recounted DeWitt’s account of the incident, according to court records. The judge ruled the officer’s testimony was sufficient to support the charges at this point in the proceedings.

Feliciani said the defense can raise a further challenge to the admissibility of the officer’s testimony during another proceeding or at trial.

No trial date has been scheduled for Snyder, who remains free after paying $10,000 bail last year.