Police: Drums, guns, alcohol played role in Washington Township arrest
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A Washington Township man is accused of threatening to shoot police officers who responded to a noise complaint at his home and then resisting arrest.
Police say it took multiple attempts to subdue Robin Mitchell Saula, 61, with a Taser.
Police said they received calls after 11 p.m. Tuesday about someone screaming and firing gunshots in the area of a home in the 1500 block of Washington Road.
When officers arrived, Saula was seated outside on a patio, according to his arrest papers. Police said they had multiple encounters with him in the past and knew he had guns, so they ordered him to stand up and show his hands.
Police say that after Saula ignored officers’ commands and threatened the officers, a officers used a Taser to try to subdue him but two tries didn’t work. It took three officers to get him into custody, according to the complaint.
Saula, who police said smelled strongly of alcohol, told officers he had been playing drums on his porch before they arrived but hadn’t done anything wrong.
Police said a neighbor asked Saula around 10:30 p.m. to stop making so much noise because it was late, but an irate Saula started screaming, made threats and fired at least two gunshots. Police said they found a freshly fired .338-caliber shell casing about 10 feet from the porch. Police said they did not find the weapon that fired that bullet, but a muzzle-loader was found inside the residence.
Saula was arraigned Thursday on charges of making terroristic threats and resisting arrest and taken to Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post $100,000 bond.
The same day, a county judge issued a detainer to keep Saula in jail even if he could post bond for violating terms of his probation stemming from an April conviction for simple assault.
A preliminary hearing in the latest case is scheduled for Monday, July 29.