Butler neighbor guilty of assault
A judge found a Butler man guilty Friday of pouncing on his neighbor in 2017 with a hatchet and a stun gun, while disguised in a Halloween mask.
Ronald A. Postreich, 71, did not contest the two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and defiant trespass. He will be sentenced in June by county Judge William Shaffer.
Until then, Postreich will be on pretrial supervision, and the court ordered him to keep from contacting his victim.
Postreich must also sell his house on 150 Morgan Road, which is next door to his victim's property. The condition is meant to keep Postreich away from his victim, according to assistant District Attorney Mark Lope, and Postreich is not allowed to enter the residence alone nor without permission from authorities.
The victim, Russell Callenberg, was present in court, but he did not say anything.
During a hearing in 2017, Callenberg recounted the attack that occurred on Oct. 18, 2017. He was mowing the grass on a lawn-tractor when suddenly he was knocked to the ground. Callenberg's glasses came off, but when he looked up he was able to see a man in a Halloween-style mask holding a rusty hatchet in one hand and a stun gun in the other.“You think you're going to die,” Callenberg said.He noted that the attack left him with bruising and soreness to the back of his head and neck as well as chest pain. He was treated for injuries at Butler Memorial Hospital. Within a week, he went for additional treatment at VA Butler Healthcare, where he was told that he had suffered a collapsed lung and fractured rib in the assault.While a possible motive for the incident was never discussed during court proceedings, police in their complaint mentioned “previous civil issues” between the men.Postreich was originally charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, possessing an instrument of crime, possessing a prohibited offensive weapon and trespass.
