A Pittsburgh judge on Monday threw out charges against a former city mayoral candidate who police accused of threatening a man with a shotgun.
District Judge Mik Pappas dismissed a simple assault charge against Anthony “Tony” Moreno, 54, the Republican nominee for mayor in 2021, and a harassment charge was withdrawn during the hearing in Downtown Pittsburgh, court officials told the Tribune-Review.
Moreno, a retired police officer, had called Pittsburgh police Dec. 12 to report that a man was trying to remove dogs from a McClure Avenue residence in Brighton Heights and was not allowed to do so.
Police said Moreno yelled at the man trying to remove the dogs, saying, “If you leave, I will shoot your tires out.”
The man said Moreno pointed a black, pump-action shotgun with a black strap at him, according to a complaint filed against Moreno. Moreno told police he did not do that, the complaint said.
Marc Daffner, Moreno’s attorney, played down the case Monday as a neighborly dispute, but stressed Moreno was pleased with the outcome.
“I think he does feel vindicated, at least to the degree that he was accused of something he didn’t do,” Daffner said. “It’s certainly a weight off his shoulders.”
Justin Vellucci is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Justin at jvellucci@triblive.com.