Father-son fight results in jail time

NORRISTOWN — An altercation between a father and son in Lower Providence has ended with the son under court supervision on charges he assaulted his dad with a tool described as either a wrench or crowbar.

James Richard Torrence, 29, of East Tulpehocken Street, Philadelphia, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to eight months and 15 days already served to 23 months in jail on misdemeanor charges of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the September 2012 altercation at the home of his father in Lower Providence. Torrence had been in jail since his arrest last Sept. 28.

Judge William R. Carpenter also ordered Torrence to complete two years’ probation after he’s paroled from jail. Essentially, the sentence means Torrence will be under court supervision for about four years.

Additionally, as conditions of the sentence, the judge ordered Torrence to complete an anger management counseling program and to have no contact with his father while serving the sentence.

“It’s obviously a broken family. This event certainly did not need to happen and it’s a shame that it did happen,” said defense lawyer V. Erik Petersen, referring to the altercation between Torrence and his father.

With the verdict, the jury found that Torrence attempted to cause or caused bodily injury to his father, Martin, and that he recklessly engaged in conduct that placed another person in danger of death or bodily injury during the 5:21 p.m. Sept. 27 disturbance at the elder Torrence’s home along the 3300 block of Arcola Road.

After a two-day trial in March, the jury acquitted Torrence of more serious felony charges of aggravated assault, attempting to cause or causing serious bodily injury.

During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Jesse King alleged Torrence committed aggravated assault when he used the tool, estimated at about 12 to 14 inches long, to strike his father on back of the head, which resulted in the victim requiring staples to close a wound. King alleged the victim was uneasy during a visit by his son and that when he turned his back at one point Torrence struck him with the tool on the head.

The victim told police that the attack was unprovoked, according to court papers.

But Torrence maintained he acted in self-defense after his father attacked him in the hallway of the Arcola Road home.

At the time of the verdict, the lawyers had differing opinions as to whether the jury believed the self-defense claim. Petersen interpreted the verdict to mean the jury believed Torrence did act in self-defense but that in doing so his defense was too excessive.

But King interpreted the jury’s conviction of simple assault to be a rejection of Torrence’s self-defense claim.

An investigation began when Lower Providence police received a report about an assault at the elder Torrence’s home. When police arrived at the scene they found Torrence’s father “bleeding profusely from the back of his head,” according to the arrest affidavit.

The father told police his son struck him on the head with a wrench from his garage and that he fell to his knees and began defending himself from his son. The victim told police he was able to retreat to a rear bedroom and close the door, according to the arrest affidavit. For a longer version of this story,

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