A West Virginia man who escaped police custody last Sunday in Armstrong Township but was recaptured about ten hours later is now charged with arson and other offenses.
A handcuffed 23-year-old Eric Tyrone Flanary of Wheeling escaped custody as he was being arrested for the domestic assault of his girlfriend at a home along Zehner Road at around 12:35 AM. He fled into the woods and police were not able to find him due to the darkness and the thickness of the woods.
Flanary was located in a garage along Trim Tree Road after he allegedly set small fires in a shed and a steel barn in order to keep warm. The barn was spotted on fire by the pilot of a search helicopter, and the owner of the property told police that an electric bike in his garage had been moved. Troopers went there and found Flanary hiding. They determined that he intended to take the electric bike and ride it back to West Virginia.
The victim of the domestic altercation that led to the incident was a woman from West Virginia who told police that Flanary was her boyfriend. She said Flanary bit her and strangled her with his hands. She had visible bruising and bite marks.
Flanary is charged with nine felony offenses: three for burglary, two each for arson and theft, and single counts of strangulation and escape. He is also charged with misdemeanor simple assault, resisting arrest, and two counts of criminal mischief, and summary harassment. He’s being held in the Indiana County Jail on $75,000 bond, with a hearing scheduled on Wednesday.
