Domestic fight leads to probation
A Sarver man was sentenced to probation in a threat case in Butler County Court on Thursday.
Timothy A. Gifford Jr., 49, was sentenced to one year of county probation by Judge William Shaffer.
He was also ordered to pay court costs and $600 in fines and to have no contact with the victim.
Gifford pleaded guilty Feb. 14 to two misdemeanor counts of harassment.
He was initially charged with misdemeanor terroristic threats, three counts of simple assault, two counts of misdemeanor harassment and one count of summary harassment after an incident on Scenic View Drive on Oct. 8.
The remaining charges were dismissed as part of the plea.
Buffalo Township police filed the charges after Richard Moon, Gifford's stepfather, reported that Gifford punched him and threatened him during a domestic dispute at their home.
Moon, who called 911 after fleeing the home with his wife, Sandra Moon, told police that they were watching television on their patio when Gifford started using obscenities and calling them profane names, according to court documents.
Sandra Moon advised Gifford to “pack his things and get out,” a police affidavit said. Gifford became “more enraged,” the affidavit said, and he threw chairs before threatening to “snap (Richard Moon's) neck like a twig.”
He was accused of punching his stepfather in the right side of his jaw, knocking the victim to the ground. When Sandra Moon stepped in between the two men, documents said, Gifford shoved her aside, knocking her down, too.
