SLIPPERY ROCK — A Sept. 11 shooting and stabbing in West Liberty was over drugs, according to testimony Wednesday in district court.

Transported from Butler County Prison, Gary F. Sweesy, 47, of Harrisville, pleaded not guilty at his preliminary hearing before District Judge Bill O'Donnell. He remains in jail without bond.

Sweesy has been charged with six felonies, including one count of attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of burglary, one count of trespassing and one count of gun possession. He is also charged with misdemeanors, including two counts of simple assault, two counts of reckless endangerment and one count of terroristic threats.

On Wednesday, O'Donnell held all 11 charges for the Butler County Court of Common Pleas. He did so after listening to testimony from the man and woman injured in the altercation as well as investigators.

“He reached down to the gun case. At that point, I knew things were gonna get bad,” said the first witness, Lisa Toth, about the incident during which she was allegedly shot by Sweesy.

Leading up

Toth said at some point on Sept. 10 Sweesy accused Crooks of sleeping with his girlfriend. She said Sweesy exited the home, calling his girlfriend on the phone, and fired rounds from a pistol into the air.

Toth said later that night Sweesy was making strange comments, repeating he wanted to die. Based on the testimony of both Toth and Crooks, the three of them had been taking drugs that evening.

“He said when he went, he wanted to take someone with him because he wanted to know what it feels like to take a life,'” said Toth, recalling one of Sweesy's comments.

Toth said also at one point during the night, she and Crooks exited their bedroom, and Crooks woke Sweesy up from sleeping on the couch. She said Crooks asked him for more heroin.

Toth said Sweesy rose, shoved Crooks, and then gave him two more stamp bags of heroin. She said she and Crooks retreated to the bedroom, where Crooks fell asleep.

“I was not comfortable enough to go to sleep,” Toth said.

Shot and stabbed

Toth said she periodically checked on Sweesy while he slept in the kitchen. She said at that point, he had brought his belongings into the kitchen while he waited for a ride that never came. Included in those belongings was a long case that held rifles, according to Toth.

Around 8:30 a.m., she recalled, she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She said she believes the sound of the ice cubes hitting glass startled Sweesy awake, and he started yelling about the amount of heroin on the kitchen table.

“He accused Eric of coming out and taking stuff,” Toth said. “He was on a mission to get to Eric.”

Toth said as Sweesy began reaching for the gun case, she began walking back to the bedroom talking loudly. Then she felt something poke her in the back. She said Sweesy said something about not believing he would shoot.

“He shot me in the back,” said Toth, who later said the bullet exited her neck.

During cross-examination, Sweesy's attorney, Joel Hillis, asked why no one called 911 about Sweesy's behavior. She said it would have only made Sweesy angrier.

“You saw him grab a gun, and you turned your back and walked away?” Hillis asked.

Toth started to say, “I never thought that he ...”

Shortly after being shot, Toth said she lost consciousness. During his testimony, Crooks said he awoke at the gunshot, and he saw his girlfriend bloody and wounded.

Crooks said he turned his back away from his friend while he tended to Toth.

“There was blood coming out of my girlfriend,” Crooks said. “He was my friend.”

Crooks said he then felt Sweesy stab him in the back with something.

“He twisted whatever it was, and I felt my legs go numb,” he said.

The flight

Toth said about that time, she regained consciousness and saw Sweesy twist and pull the knife from Crooks' back. She said she mustered her strength, used the wall to rise to her feet and led Sweesy outside.

“I said, 'I'm calling the cops right now,'” Toth said.

Toth said Sweesy left through the front door, and she locked it behind him. She said at that point, Crooks was on his feet, and he was able to shove a chair into the door to prevent it from opening.

Crooks said the adrenaline helped him get him to his feet, and when he heard Sweesy moving to the back door, he grabbed a pool cue he usually keeps for self-defense.

Crooks said Sweesy kicked the door down, so he smashed the pool stick over his head. In court, Sweesy showed the remnants of a cut on his forehead.

Crooks said Sweesy managed to grab some of his belongings before fleeing, all while he tried to stab at him with the broken end of the pool cue.

According to earlier reports of the incident, state police spent hours searching the area around the crime scene, even involving a helicopter.

Trooper Jessica Titler, the charging officer, said Sweesy was found in a wooded area not far from the attack.

Titler said at a nearby property with a vacant home, police found the rifle case hidden in a boat left on the property. She said it contained two long-barrel rifles.

Titler said the kitchen knife she believed was used to stab Crooks was also recovered the same day.

“We did locate a knife inside the residence,” she said. “There was a bow in it, and there was blood on it.”

According to Titler, more items belonging to Sweesy were found Sept. 18 on a different property and handed over by a neighbor who found them.

Those items included a 9mm pistol, an 8-inch knife, an iPad and a pill bottle. Titler said there were also 9mm casings recovered from the parking area of the Smith Road home. The pool cue was also recovered.

Hillis asked if there were any drugs found at the scene. Titler replied that only paraphernalia was found, but drugs were found later at the hospital where Sweesy was treated for his injuries.

Titler said there were two stamp bags found in the hallway near Sweesy's room, and they asked him if he knew about them.

“He said they fell out of his butt,” Titler said.

Hillis offered no argument to O'Donnell on behalf of Sweesy, and he offered no comment on the case after the hearing.

A formal arraignment for Sweesy has been scheduled Nov. 16 in county court.