Chicora man charged in shooting at inn
A Chicora man accused of shooting a man in the chest Sunday at the Millerstown Inn has had more than one entanglement with the law.
Gary Ellenberger, 56, is accused of shooting Heath Schrecengost, 27, of Karns City once in the chest at the eatery on South Main Street in Chicora around 1:43 a.m. A state trooper administered first aid to Schrecengost until medical personnel arrived.
State police said that after Schrecengost was wounded with an unspecified firearm, Ellenberger fled the scene. Troopers went to his Chicora home and he came out, surrendering without incident.
Police said Schrecengost was taken to Allegheny General Hospital by helicopter and was in critical condition in the intensive care unit. An update on his condition was not available Monday.
Ellenberger is facing charges of attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment, according to officials at the Butler County Prison, where he is being held.
He was arraigned by District Judge Wayne Seibel on Sunday and was denied bail.
A spokesman for the Millerstown Inn said the owners did not wish to comment, saying, “They are very upset. We are all a close community and this has affected them terribly. We all need some time.”
Ellenberger’s troubles with the law go back at least 12 years.
In 2006, Ellenberger was thrown out of a Chicora bar after the bar’s owner claimed he was being loud and trying to get other patrons to arm wrestle him.
Soon after someone blasted shotgun pellets into the door of the bar from the outside, according witness accounts. The shot also struck a truck belonging to one of the bar’s owners. A jury ultimately found Ellenberger not guilty in the shooting.
Over the next few years, Ellenberger had more contact with the court system.
In 2007, Ellenberger pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was fined $500, given 60 days of house arrest with electronic monitoring and ordered to pay just over $600 for the electronic monitoring.
In 2011, a wildlife conservation officer was investigating an out-of-season hunt and found two deer hanging in the garage of Ellenberger’s home. Ellenberger admitted that his son had shot one of the deer in October of that year and he had the two deer in his home. Ellenberger was charged with two summary counts of illegally possessing deer.
Two years later, Ellenberger pleaded guilty to damaging that same home, located on Cherry Road, after a bank foreclosed on it.
According to a state police complaint, Ellenberger, and his wife removed an above ground swimming pool and garage for scrap and took a building “totally off the foundation” before the bank took over the house. The Ellenbergers were ultimately responsible for thousands of dollars in restitution.
In 2012, he was stopped for driving under the influence, a charge to which he ultimately pleaded guilty. He also pleaded guilty to attempting to flee from a police officer.
For the DUI, his second one at the time, the judge sentenced him to a maximum of a year in jail and 48 months probation. For fleeing, he was sentenced to a maximum of eight months in jail. Ellenberger also racked up thousands of dollars in court bills, according to state court records.
Ellenberger was most recently in court in 2016. He pleaded guilty to harassment. He faced no further penalty but had to pay several hundred dollars in court fees.
