Former fugitive receives jail term
The Pittsburgh man whose evasion from police last August left residents in the Chicora area on edge for nearly a week was sentenced Thursday in Butler County Court.
Robert Amend, 49, will serve the terms of a plea arrangement made with the county district attorney’s office: He pleaded guilty to a felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude police officers and a misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment.
County Judge William Shaffer sentenced Amend to serve 11 1/2 to 23 months in jail, followed by 5 years of probation.
However, the defendant’s legal troubles are far from over.
“(Amend) will now return to Allegheny County and address the pending charges there,” said his defense attorney public defender Joseph Smith.
In Allegheny County, Amend faces more serious allegations, including attempted homicide, that set him on the run in the first place.
Police allege Amend on Aug. 8 shot his 40-year-old estranged girlfriend, who had recently taken out a protection-from-abuse order against him.
Amend then fled and headed north. He ended up in Butler County, and after a high-speed chase in the Oakland Township area, he ditched his car and fled on foot into the woods.
An intensive manhunt followed. During that time, police followed multiple tips, using search dogs and helicopters to search for Amend.
Residents, frightened by the possibility of stumbling upon the fugitive, locked their doors, turned on their outdoor lights and loaded their guns.
Amend remained on the loose for five more days before turning himself in at the Pittsburgh Municipal Court Building in Pittsburgh.
Court records indicate that the case in Allegheny County will go to trial Tuesday.
Amend’s attorney in that county, public defender Charles Van Keuren III, said he could not comment on the details of the case due to the pending trial.
