Darkstar this guy wouldn’t have been trying to visit you :dunno:
Man charged in vandalism
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Larger / Smaller TextBy Patrick Shuster and Tom Mitchell
Staff Writers
Wednesday, June 29, 2005SOUTH BUFFALO – Repairs were completed yesterday after a Pittsburgh man damaged a STAT MedEvac medical transport helicopter Monday at the McVille Airport.
According to charges filed Monday, John David Cherry, 35, of 89 Ridgewood Ave., Pittsburgh, jumped a fence around the helicopter base and entered the helicopter at 6 p.m.
John Chamberlin, marketing director for STAT MedEvac, said the flight crew noticed Cherry doing chin-ups on a metal bar near the tail of the aircraft and when they confronted him, he crawled inside the craft.
Chamberlin said Cherry used a fire extinguisher to damaged a computerized altimeter and another gauge on the helicopter’s instrument panel, as well as damaging medical supplies that were stored on board.
East Franklin state police commander, Lt. Thomas Dubovi, said that Cherry had only to flip one remaining switch to start the helicopter’s engine. However, police said that after Cherry failed to start the craft he allegedly began to vandalize it, causing $50,000 in damage.
However, Chamberlin said the process for starting the helicopter is “not something the average person could do.”
“There was no real fear that he could have actually gotten the helicopter off the ground,” he said.
According to the flight crew, which consists of a pilot, flight nurse and flight paramedic, Cherry was chased and corralled into a tool shed where he was held until police arrived.
After he was arrested, Cherry told Trooper Roger Hess that he wanted to take the helicopter to Ocean City, Md. He later told police that he had once taken training in a flight simulator, but had never flown an aircraft and was not a licensed pilot.
Police said Cherry was evaluated at Armstrong County Memorial Hospital but was not admitted.
He was arraigned before District Judge J. Gary DeComo on charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespass and committed to the Armstrong County Jail where he is being held on a $25,000 bond.
Police said Cherry offered no real motive for his actions or explained why he had traveled from Pittsburgh to the Armstrong County airport.
Chamberlin said mechanics examined the aircraft and determined it was able to be flown to the Allegheny County Airport for repairs. A replacement helicopter is being used at McVille until the helicopter returns this week.
The damaged helicopter is an American Eurocopter model EC-135. It is powered by two turbine engines and has a top speed of 160 mph. STAT MedEvac currently has 16 helicopter bases around western Pennsylvania.