Man headed for trial in connection with bar fight

Dane Spurio, 34, allegedly injured two people with a beer bottle during June 4 fracas at the North Wales Pub, according to police

WHITPAIN » A 34-year-old North Wales man accused of striking two people with a beer bottle during a fight at a borough bar in early June is headed for trial on several criminal counts after waiving his preliminary hearing in district court.

Dane Spurio, of the 400 block of South Main Street, appeared with his public defender before Whitpain District Judge Robert Sobeck and waived two counts of second-degree misdemeanor simple assault, two counts of summary harassment, and summary public drunkenness in connection with the alleged incident at the North Wales Pub. Prosecutors withdrew one count of summary disorderly conduct, records indicate.

Borough police, along with cops from several other North Penn police departments, were dispatched to the bar just after 2 a.m. on June 4 for a reported fight in progress involving more than 10 people, with two individuals bleeding, according to a criminal complaint.

Upon arrival, cops encountered Spurio outside — he reeked of alcohol and was staggering around, and as cops approached he yelled, “Yeah, I did it,” the complaint indicates.

Police spoke to the two victims, one of whom was a female bartender. She stated that Spurio and another regular at the bar were acting like they had “beer muscles” and started smacking each other playfully, but then other patrons got involved “and the situation went downhill from there,” according to the complaint.

Spurio got angry and threw a beer bottle that hit a man in the head and cut open his scalp; the bottle also hit the bartender in the right eyebrow, causing a cut and a large lump, according to court documents. The male victim, who said he was trying to break up the altercation when he was struck by the bottle, refused treatment and went home with friends, police said.

After being taken into custody, Spurio acted aggressively and had to be placed into the back of a patrol vehicle while cops investigated the incident, the complaint indicates.

Spurio was taken to North Wales police headquarters for processing, whereupon he became “increasingly agitated,” told a cop to perform a sex act in lieu of administering him a portable breath test, and then threatened the North Wales police chief several times before finally being transported to Lansdale police headquarters for lodging in their cell block, according to the complaint.

Spurio remains behind bars at Montgomery County jail in lieu of 10 percent of $5,000 cash bail while awaiting his Aug. 16 formal arraignment in county court.