County housing authority plumber 1 of 2 men charged with assaulting customer at Sheetz in Harrison
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A customer at the Sheetz in Harrison suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung when he was attacked by two men while he was waiting for his food order to be filled, according to authorities.
One of the two men arrested in the incident, Corey Edmund Borczuch, 30, of the 200 block of Rhoda Avenue in Allegheny Township, was identified in court papers as a plumber working for the Allegheny County Housing Authority at the Sheldon Park housing complex and other county-owned properties in the area.
Borczuch and Josh Michalski, 32, of the 200 block of Park Avenue in Harrison, were charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy along with harassment and criminal mischief.
They were released from custody after posting nonmonetary bonds. They face separate preliminary hearings Dec. 28 before District Judge Carolyn S. Bengel, according to court records.
Housing authority officials said Borczuch is a full-time employee. Because the alleged incident happened outside work hours and off of housing authority property, the agency’s policies and union contract call for no disciplinary action unless an employee is found guilty, said Luke Lewis, a human resources generalist for the housing authority.
A Harrison police detective wrote in a criminal complaint that officers were dispatched to the convenience store shortly after 2:40 a.m. Nov. 12 for a report of a fight. Upon arrival, they found a man bleeding from the head and face who was having difficulty breathing and took him to nearby Allegheny Valley Hospital.
Police said store security video shows Borczuch and Michalski, who were both known to officers, enter the store with an unidentified man and woman.
Borczuch and Michalski then walk past the man before Borczuch turns and begins speaking with him, according to the complaint.
A few moments later, Borczuch “sucker punches” the man and they begin scuffling, and the three other members of the group surround them, the complaint said.
The man was able to break free, but Borczuch, Michalski and the unidentified man with them pinned the victim in a corner of the store and began punching him, the complaint said.
Police said the man was able to break free a second time, but Michalski brought him to the ground and held him down while Borczuch kneed him several times, the complaint said.
The scuffle caused about $320 in damage to the store, police said.