Kiski Township man sentenced for scuffle with police atop tractor-trailer in New Stanton

A Kiski Township man was sentenced Monday to serve up to 23 months in jail in connection with an incident in New Stanton where he jumped atop a tractor-trailer and scuffled with police as they attempted to take him into custody.

Blair Jones Czitterberg, 40, pleaded guilty in September to seven counts that included aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest and reckless endangerment related to the Nov. 15, 2020, incident.

“I believe it is in my best interest. I cannot prove that I am innocent, and I am guilty of something,” Czitterberg wrote in guilty plea petition filed last fall.

According to court records, police initially responded to a disturbance at the Budget Inn in New Stanton. When they arrived on the scene, they found Czitterberg on the roof of a commercial truck. Police said Czitterberg threatened to harm himself and danced and jumped on the vehicle as a wind storm swept through the area.

A state police trooper climbed up onto the truck, tackled and fired a Taser at Czitterberg as he attempted to jump. The trooper was kicked in the face, and Czitterberg took the Taser from the officer and fired it into the truck, police said.

Defense attorney Stephanie A. Shriver, in a document filed last year, wrote that Czitterberg has dealt with drug addiction problems that dated to high school and resurfaced in 2020.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears ordered Czitterberg, who had been free after he posted a $10,000 bond in December 2020, to be paroled after he was given credit for time he served in jail following his arrest. The judge also ordered Czitterberg serve one year on house arrest and five additional years on probation.