Monday, August 7, 2023

McAdoo Man Faces Charges for Firing Gun Inside Home During Dispute



MCADOO - A McAdoo man is facing charges after he was involved in a dispute and fired a shot inside home last week.

According to court documents, in the early morning hours of Thursday, August 3rd, 2023, at approximately 01:36 AM, Troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police at Frackville received a distress call from a Brittany Horwath. Horwath reported that she had heard a heated argument between a male and a female emanating from an upstairs apartment situated above a local pizza shop, located at 101 S. Kennedy Dr., McAdoo.

According to her account, Horwath then witnessed a sudden burst of light followed by a resounding bang, like that of a firearm discharge. In response to her call, Trooper Ryan Sverchek and Trooper Jordan Mroczka promptly arrived at the scene to assess the situation.

Upon arrival, the officers noted a shattered glass door at the entrance to the upstairs apartment and observed blood splatter in the vicinity of the damaged entryway.

Shortly after their arrival, a male individual identified as William Evanco emerged from the apartment entryway. Evanco informed the officers that an altercation had transpired earlier, involving another party who had subsequently left the premises. However, the police's attention had been drawn due to the reported gunfire.

Evanco disclosed that his brother, Jarett Evanco, 23, had indeed discharged a firearm within the residence, but the situation had since calmed. The police requested to speak with Jarett, leading William to contact his brother via phone. Jarett Evanco then answered the door and provided his version of events.

He explained that the commotion had been caused by Brittany Horwath, who allegedly caused damage to his entryway door. Jarett confirmed discharging his firearm outside of a living room window but denied shooting it out of the window. He acknowledged the police report of gunfire and detailed firing the handgun inside the living room as an attempt to intimidate and deter any further disturbance.

During the investigation, the officers requested consent to enter the apartment and secure the firearm. Both Jarett and William Evanco agreed, and Trooper Mroczka was led into the apartment by William. Inside, the officer located a Glock model 43x, 9mm handgun devoid of a magazine. Adjacent to the firearm, there was an arrangement comprising a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana and a metal smoking pipe. William indicated that he had disposed of the spent shell casing in the garbage, which was subsequently retrieved.

Upon questioning, Jarett Evanco confirmed ownership of the seized items, including the firearm, marijuana, and pipe. He provided additional details regarding the sequence of events leading up to the incident. Contrary to initial statements, Jarett clarified that he had discharged the firearm within the confines of the living room, accounting for the presence of the shell casing inside the apartment.

In an interview conducted at the PSP-Frackville station, Jarett Evanco elaborated on the events preceding the incident. He expressed that he had fired the handgun with the intention of dispersing the confrontation. The discrepancy in his initial account regarding the gunshot's location was attributed to a playful action of firing the weapon indoors.

Despite searching, Brittany Horwath could not be located through a neighborhood canvass conducted by the police.

Jarett Evanco was charged by police with discharging of a firearm into an occupied structure, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Evanco was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli and locked up in Schuylkill County Prison on $100,000 straight cash bail.