Borough Man Charged with Resisting Arrest, Public Drunkenness

A man was briefly jailed for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and public drunkenness following an incident outside of a bar in Strabane Thursday.

North Strabane police charged Thomas Craig Allen, 24, of 326 W. College St., after police said he was “defiant and belligerent” when questioned that night.

Police said they had observed “a suspicious male standing against a telephone pole along Chartiers Street watching a nearby bar,” according to the criminal complaint. “The male had his hood pulled up which covered his face and he kept his hands in his pockets.”

When an officer pulled up and asked Allen to remove his hands from his pockets, he refused, the complaint stated.

“After I drew my Taser, (he) reluctantly complied and was escorted over to the police car, but he still refused to identify himself,” the document continued.

After patting him down for weapons, Allen was identified and then asked to leave the area.

“As he departed, he shouted profanity and threatened to assault (the) officer,” the complaint stated, adding that Allen then started to run as police again approached.

When police attempted to place Allen under arrest a few moments later, “he physically resisted, pushing and swinging.”

Officers said Allen was under the influence of alcohol and “was obviously a danger to himself and others.”

Allen was arraigned before district and briefly jailed on $2,500 bond.