HICKORY TWP., Pa. — A Forest County man is being held in jail on $25,000.00 bail after he allegedly concealed a fugitive in his Hickory Township, Forest County residence.

Court documents indicate the Forest County Detectives Drug Task Force filed the following criminal charges against 48-year-old Joseph Eugene Summerville, of Endeavor, on August 28:

– Endangering Welfare of Children — Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense, Misdemeanor 1
– Hinder Apprehension/Prosecution-Harbor Or Conceal, Misdemeanor 2
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor

Unable to post $25,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Warren County Jail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on September 27 with Judge Daniel L. Miller presiding.

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, on August 21, Detective Hawk, of the Forest County Detective Office, traveled to a residence on State Route 666 in Hickory Township in an attempt to serve an arrest warrant out of Clarion County for 24-year-old Jennifer Elder. At the residence, Detective Hawk made contact with Joseph Summerville.

Jennifer Elder

According to the complaint, Summerville said Elder was not at his residence, denied Detective Hawk access to look for Elder, and stated that if Detective Hawk did not leave his property he was “going to hurt” him.

On August 27, Detective Hawk and a representative of Forest County Probation returned to the residence with a warrant. Upon arrival, the officers heard Summerville speaking with a female inside the residence.

Detective Hawk knocked on the door and announced: “Sheriff’s Office, come to the door.”

The officers then heard movement inside the residence, moving toward the back of the residence, and Detective Hawk saw Elder look through a set of blinds in a window. Detective Hawk also saw two small children, crying profusely, trying to get to Summerville.

According to the complaint, Summerville yelled “Relax, buddy, everything is going to be okay,” but he continued to refuse the officers’ attempts to call Elder from her hiding location, or admit Elder was in the residence.

Detective Hawk called for PSP assistance and continued to call out for Elder to come out as they waited for backup to arrive.

When the state police officers arrived, one of the troopers began knocking and announced, “State Police, come to the door,” and after several announcements, Summerville came to the door and exited the residence. Summerville was then taken into custody for officer safety reasons, according to the complaint.

As the officers asked Summerville about Elder’s whereabouts, he denied her being in the residence, then stated she had run out the back door.

A search of the residence was then conducted. Due to the severely cluttered condition of the bedroom, the officers missed Elder at first, then located her in the back bedroom hiding under clothing in the closet.

According to the complaint, while Elder was being taken into custody she was screaming “(expletive) you,” and “Baby, how could you let them do this,” and pulled away from the troopers.

During the altercation, two children, ages two and four, were present in the residence.

The complaint states that during the search, the officers also found an open black bag containing several syringes and a plastic container with several small baggies containing an unknown white powder substance located directly beside the bed on a dresser, in an area where the children could have had access to it.

The complaint also notes that along with the drug paraphernalia, the officers also seized the firearms that were located in plain view for officer safety reasons, as Summerville had previously threatened Detective Hawk.

Due to previous law enforcement activity, Detective Hawk believed Summerville may be a person prohibited from possessing firearms, and Clarion County Probation reported they believe Elder is also prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Children and Youth Services were dispatched to the scene to take custody of the children, who were then placed with a responsible adult.

Summerville was arraigned at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, August 28, in Magisterial District Judge Laura S. Bauer’s office.

According to court documents, Elder was lodged in the Clarion County Jail.

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