Cops: Former Greensburg man abandoned infant and toddler in failed escape

Paul Peirce | Monday, January 7, 2019 3:02 p.m.

A former Greensburg man told city police he “panicked” when pulled over Saturday and ran from a traffic stop, abandoning a two-month-old infant and 18-month-old toddler inside his running car.

Patrick D. Davis, 31, of New Alexandria, was arraigned Monday on two counts of child endangerment and single counts of escape, flight to avoid apprehension, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest, tampering with evidence and driving on a suspended license following the incident at 5:45 p.m. on the 600 block of Greenmont Street.

After police chased Davis through several yards and subdued him in a yard on Fairmont Street, he told officers he realized he had an outstanding arrest warrant for attempted robbery “and panicked,” Patrolman Garret McNamara reported in court documents.

Davis continued to resist after being subdued and attempted to “conceal a glass crack pipe” near the base of a fence inside a cigarette pack while he was being handcuffed, McNamara reported.

Earlier last week, city police charged Davis, formerly of Greensburg and Jeannette, with attempted robbery for getting into a fight with a store employee who stopped him as he allegedly attempted to leave the Shop ‘n Save on East Pittsburgh Street without paying for 14 cases of soda.

The security guard suffered a minor injury to his hand during the Dec. 30 altercation, according to court papers. McNamara reported the guard stopped Davis outside the store as he wheeled a shopping cart containing $80 worth of Mountain Dew and Pepsi out of the store, bypassing the cash registers.

Davis was identified after he dropped his phone and ran away without the soda. The guard retrieved the phone and turned it over to police.

Davis also was identified through store security photographs, McNamara said.

Davis is charged with attempted robbery, simple assault, harassment and retail theft in that case.

Davis also has a hearing scheduled this month before Derry District Judge Mark Bilik on charges of theft and receiving stolen property for allegedly stealing a $500 crossbow from a New Alexandria resident and selling it at a pawn shop in Greensburg last fall.

On Monday, Flanigan ordered Davis held in the Westmoreland County Prison after he failed to post $75,000 bail.

Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib.