Captain in Girard Fire Department scheduled for trial

Staff report

GIRARD

A captain in the Girard Fire Department is scheduled for a jury trial May 4 in Girard Municipal Court on a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a March 2010 confrontation with a neighbor.

Timothy E. O’Brien, 50, of Hazel Street, was charged in the case after a complaint from Robert C. Hawk, 38, who also lives on Hazel Street.

A Girard police report says the Girard Fire Department went to Hawk’s house and advised him to extinguish a backyard fire, which Hawk did.

Sometime later, Hawk heard his mother in the front yard arguing with O’Brien, which caused Hawk to tell O’Brien to go back to his home, police said.

That led to pushing and O’Brien hitting Hawk twice in the face, Hawk told police.

O’Brien told police the argument started at a bus stop for Hawk’s and O’Brien’s children and had to do with the fire department being called to Hawk’s house.

O’Brien said Hawk instigated the fight by making a motion toward O’Brien as though he were going to strike him, police said. O’Brien “pushed him back and struck him in the face,” the report said.

Hawk said he went to St. Elizabeth Health Center for treatment of injuries.

Atty. John Falgiani is special prosecutor in the case, which will be heard by Judge Michael Bernard.