SAXONBURG, Pa. — The case against a man accused of ripping apart his home with an excavator while his wife and kids were inside in May will head to trial.
Erik Pierwsza stayed silent as Channel 11 asked him for comment after he left the magistrate’s court on Tuesday afternoon.
He is accused of trying to destroy his own home with an excavator while his family was inside two weeks ago. Police said he and his wife were in the process of separating.
According to the criminal complaint, when she told her husband she was ‘done,’ he shouted: “If it’s over, I’ll tear the house down.”
Drone 11 flew over the home after the incident. You can see the damage to the house, parts of the roof torn off, and the red excavator still sitting in the rubble.
Pierwsza was charged with causing a catastrophe. Prosecutors reduced that to risking a catastrophe. His attorney was thankful for the change.
“It’s a less serious charge, obviously, and the penalties are less,” said Pierwsza’s attorney, Michael Pawk.
Pierwsza still faces three counts of recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct.
“They also agreed not to charge anything else, which they could have today,” Pawk said. “They could have potentially charged him with other criminal offenses, and they agreed not to do that.”
Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek asked whether Pierwsza has any remorse.
His attorney didn’t directly answer that.
“My client wants to move on; he wants to get this resolved in the courts eventually and possibly reunite with his kids,” Pawk said. “This was a domestic matter, an ongoing divorce situation. He built the house himself, the marriage is over, and he took the, he’s alleged to have took a backhoe to the back porch and didn’t cause any structural damage.”
Pierwsza’s wife and kids were in the home when police said he started destroying it. His lawyer said they could have gotten to safety.
“They certainly could have walked out the front door at any time,” he said.
Pierwsza’s next hearing is scheduled for July.
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