A Sellersville man is facing more than a dozen charges after he allegedly entered his neighbor’s apartment, swung a hammer at them and then began to smash their furniture.
James Berner, 43, has been charged with felony counts of aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespassing, along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and disorderly conduct and summary counts of harassment and criminal mischief, in connection with the April 11 incident.
According to the criminal complaint, Perkasie Police were dispatched to the unit block of East Temple Avenue for a report of a neighbor armed with a hammer who had mentioned a gun. Police made contact with the caller, who stated that she had approached her neighbor — identified as Berner — at 10 a.m. to ask if she could borrow a clean t-shirt. The victim stated that Berner was sitting in the chair and was noticeably under the influence of something, however he agreed to letting her borrow a shirt, the report states.
Approximately 10 minutes later, Berner began banging on the door to the victim’s apartment with a hammer, yelling about someone taking his clothes, police said. When the victim opened the door, Berner “busted through” the door and began to violently swing the hammer while threatening to kill the victim, according to the report.
The victim told police that the hammer was right in front of her face, the report states. Berner then used the hammer to smash the victim’s furniture, walks and doors, then left the apartment while stating that he was going to retrieve his gun, the report states.
A witness to the assault corroborated the story to investigators, and the report notes damage to two doors and a desk, as well as a lamp that was knocked over.
Police went to Berner’s apartment and knocked on the door, however Berner yelled that he was in the bathroom while police said they heard him walking around the apartment. After two minutes, Berner spoke with police and denied having any involvement or having a hammer in his apartment, police said.
Police said Berner was uncooperative throughout their interaction and declined to allow them to search his home. After speaking to the district attorney’s office, police had Berner stand up and walk towards them so he could be taken into custody, the report states.
Once Berner was handcuffed, police informed him that he would be arraigned in front of a judge at 4 p.m., at which point a search warrant for his apartment would be granted, the report states. At that time, Berner told police to remove a lid that was sitting on top of an ottoman, which revealed the hammer that was used in the incident, police said.
Berner was arraigned that afternoon by Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage, who set bail at 10% of $100,000 cash. He was then transported to the Bucks County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail.
Court records indicate Berner’s next appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled at 3 p.m. on May 4 in front of Judge Armitage.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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