Towamencin man jailed for assaulting police officer
NORRISTOWN >> A Towamencin man was sent to jail after he admitted to assaulting a township police officer who was investigating an alleged domestic disturbance at his residence.
Andrew James Armstrong, 32, of the 1100 block of Welsh Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 9-to-23-months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of aggravated assault of a police officer in connection with the 11:58 p.m. Jan. 5, 2019, incident at his residence.
Judge Thomas C. Branca, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Armstrong to complete three years’ probation following parole, meaning Armstrong will be under court supervision for about five years. Armstrong was ordered to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation and to comply with all recommendations for treatment.
The investigation began when township police were dispatched to Armstrong’s residence after a woman reported a domestic disturbance.
When police arrived at the residence they could hear yelling coming from inside and when they knocked on the door Armstrong, allegedly intoxicated, refused to speak with police, according to the criminal complaint.
“He appeared highly agitated,” Towamencin Township police officers Gabriel Wasserman and Michael Seider alleged in the arrest affidavit.
Armstrong told police “everything is fine dude” and tried to shut the door on officers several times. Police eventually forced entry into the residence to check on the female caller, court papers indicate.
Armstrong began shouting obscenities at police and refused to relinquish a bottle of bourbon he had
in his right hand.
“The defendant appeared severely intoxicated and having difficulty maintaining his balance,” Wasserman and Seider alleged.
While police were speaking with the female caller, Armstrong grabbed the liquor bottle, walked “aggressively” toward the woman and ignored commands to sit down, according to court documents.
“The defendant did not listen and continued to advance toward us with the bottle of liquor in his hand,” police alleged.
When police attempted to take hold of Armstrong he resisted and he refused multiple verbal commands to comply with the arrest, according to the criminal complaint. An officer subsequently discharged a Taser, striking Armstrong in the back and he fell to the ground and he was handcuffed, court papers
indicate.
However, as police tried to remove Armstrong from the residence he “continued to resist police control by kicking and pulling away,” police alleged. Armstrong allegedly told police, “I’ll fight you with everything I got,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Armstrong kicked Wasserman in the abdomen and right leg during the struggle, court papers alleged. During the course of trying to arrest Armstrong, Wasserman sustained an abrasion to his left arm and soft tissue injuries from “the kicks and unwanted contact from the defendant,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Other charges of terroristic threats, resisting arrest, recklessly endangering other persons and disorderly conduct were dismissed against Armstrong as part of the plea agreement.