LANSFORD -- The president of Lansford Borough Council has been charged with simple assault.
State police have filed simple assault charges against Martin Ditsky, 69, of Lansford. Ditsky is the president of the Lansford Borough Council. People who live in Lansford are surprised to hear about the incident.
"I don't know about it and I probably maybe should," Jennifer Mustacchio of Lansford said.
According to court papers, it was back in September when Ditsky went up to a woman who was with her two young children outside his home. The documents show Ditsky yelled at the woman outside her car because he was unhappy she parked in front of the steps leading to his home. Police said Ditsky grabbed the woman's hand and bent her fingers and arm backwards, hurting her while holding her in that position for about a minute. Court papers also show Ditsky smelled of alcohol during the incident.
Ditsky was charged for the alleged incident two months after it happened, on Election Day. Ditsky was not re-elected to borough council.
Lansford residents we spoke with said they hope the incident did not cause Ditsky to lose the election.
"I'm just a strong believer in you're innocent until proven guilty, and that's not always the case," Mustacchio said. "Not just here, but a lot of places."
Newswatch 16 spoke to Ditsky, who told us to talk to his lawyer. In addition to the simple assault charge, Ditsky is also facing harassment and public drunkenness charges.