Charges against a Tarentum man, who police say is affiliated with the Pagans Motorcycle Club, were waived to court Tuesday at his preliminary hearing.
Joshua Drum, 31, is charged with felony and misdemeanor charges of retaliation against a witness or victim and intimidating a witness or victim. He also faces a felony charge of criminal use of communication facilities in connection to calls he allegedly made to Devin Colucci at the Westmoreland County jail.
District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec also refused to reduce Drum’s $300,000 bond. He is being held at Westmoreland County jail.
Police reviewed phone recordings, social media posts and IP address records as part of an investigation into a January assault at Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell. Colucci and co-defendant Robert Browne, also identified by police as a Pagans member, are charged with assaulting a man who police say is a retired member of the rival Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
During Drum’s hearing, the prosecution showed photos of the victim taken outside of the district judge’s office on the day of Colucci’s and Browne’s preliminary hearings on March 31, which they alleged were taken on Drum’s phone.
According to the criminal complaint against Drum, he was seen circling the victim’s vehicle in the district court parking lot that day.
The complaint said the assault victim found stickers depicting an upside down Outlaw Motorcycle Club symbol in his yard. Displaying the symbol in that fashion, police said, is known to be a form or disrespect.
On multiple prison calls reviewed by police, Drum and Colucci talked about the victim, referring to him by initials, which matched one’s used in Colucci’s criminal complaint.
On one call, police say, Drum told Colucci he drove around the victim’s neighborhood, according to the complaint.
Police also found a Facebook account pretending to be the victim that contained profane, sexually explicit and, in some cases, homophobic and racist posts, according to the complaint. Another post is of the victim’s dog was taken from his real Facebook page, police said.
Police received IP addresses associated with the page through a search warrant and determined they belonged to Drum, according to the complaint.
Drum’s public defender declined to comment.
His formal arraignment in Westmoreland County Court is scheduled for June 24.