A criminal complaint filed through district judge Andrew Fish’s office said Oil City police were sent to a home on Graff Street shortly after 9 p.m. for reports of a physical dispute.
The caller said he worked for a repossession company and came to the home to repossess 58-year-old Merle Ritchey’s vehicle, the complaint said.
The employee said Ritchey came out to confront him about taking the vehicle when the dispute turned physical, the complaint said.
While officers were en route to the scene, Ritchey went into his home and came out with a rifle and pointed it at the repossession worker, the complaint said.
Police observed Ritchey holding the gun while on his porch as they arrived, the complaint said.
Patrolman Regina Deloe spoke to the repossession employee and he told her Ritchey said he would shoot him while he was pointing the gun in his direction, the complaint said.
Ritchey was then taken into custody and the rifle was recovered.
Aside from the felony count of aggravated assault, Ritchey has also been charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and disorderly conduct, as well as a count of harassment.
Ritchey was arraigned before Fish and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
A preliminary hearing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Dec. 14 in Venango County Central Court.
