Man faces assault charge

Staff report

LIBERTY

A township man was arraigned Wednesday on one count of felonious assault in Girard Municipal Court, charged with shooting a pregnant woman multiple times.

Township police said Tadarrell D. Mason, 19, of Townsend Avenue, shot a 21-year-old pregnant woman twice in the leg and once in the abdomen about 5:45 a.m. Monday.

The woman was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where she and her unborn child were treated with no life threatening injuries, police said.

The maximum sentence for the second-degree felony is eight years in prison, with an additional three years for using a firearm.

Police said Mason shot the woman with a semiautomatic handgun at an apartment complex on Townsend.

When police arrived, they found the boyfriend of the victim attending to her and he identified the shooter as his brother, police said.

According to reports, Mason was arrested by an off-duty Hubbard Township officer roughly 15 minutes after the shooting. The officer heard the call over the radio and spotted Mason running east along state Route 304 at the intersection of Logan Way.

After he was arrested, Mason was taken to the Liberty police department. While he was being questioned, Mason struck an officer in the head with a phone which resulted in an assault charge, police said. He was arraigned on that charge Wednesday as well.

The fourth-degree felony could tack on an additional 18 months to his prison term if convicted.

A judge set Mason’s bond at $110,000. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday in municipal court. The Girard court has jurisdiction of cases that come from Liberty, Vienna and Hubbard townships.