Police make arrest in Hazleton beating case
First Posted:
HAZLETON — Nearly 18 months after Andrew “A.J.” Goryl suffered critical injuries in a beating on a Hazleton street, city police on Friday made an arrest in the case.
Ronald Tavarez, 27, of East Green Street, Hazleton, was charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and obstruction of the administration of law, and two counts each of tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension.
Tavarez was arraigned before District Judge James Dixon in Hazle Township and jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $100,000 bail.
According to court papers:
Police were dispatched to the area of North Locust and West 5th streets just before 6 a.m. on March 10, 2013, for a report of a male lying in the roadway bleeding. Three minutes later, they arrived to find Goryl on his knees on the west side of 5th Street, just west of Lafayette Court, with his hands in his lap and his head down.
Goryl had blood and abrasions on his nose and face and was unresponsive. He was transported to Hazleton General Hospital and flown to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center trauma unit for treatment of multiple traumatic injuries consistent with assault, police said in court papers.
Goryl has remained hospitalized since the day police found him, and he remains “severely handicapped as a result of the injuries he sustained in the assault.”
Police note in the court papers that they determined Goryl was dragged about 175 feet to the area he was found from an area in front of 591 N. Lafayette Court. They also note an area of diluted blood on the ground in front of 591 N. Lafayette Court, and that it appeared efforts were made to wash the blood away with water poured from a bucket or container.
Investigators concluded someone tried to destroy blood evidence.
Police spoke with Robert Plasencia, a resident of 591 N. Lafayette Court, whom they say came out of his house with his hands on his head when asked to come outside, was acting nervous, told them he was sleeping and was unaware of anything that went on outside, and had no one staying over the house, according to court papers.
When detectives arrived and knocked on the door, Tavarez answered, which surprised police because Plasencia told them no one was staying over.
Later that month, police spoke with two witnesses who told them they spoke with a third person, identified in court papers as a confidential informant, who they say told them she witnessed the attack on Goryl but was too afraid to go to police.
The informant identified Tavarez as Goryl’s attacker, and told police Tavarez and Plasencia dragged Goryl away from the house. The informant also told police that Tavarez’s brother, Richard Tavarez, went through Goryl’s pockets, unsuccessfully tried to burn the contents in the back yard and then left to dispose of them.
Police interviewed Ronald Tavarez on July 31, and he allegedly told police that Goryl followed him into his driveway, and he punched Goryl when Goryl refused to back away. He said Goryl fell backwards into the street, that Goryl was knocked out and that Plasencia helped him drag Goryl away from the house.
Ronald Tavarez’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Sept. 10 before District Judge Joseph Zola in Hazleton.
