Serious Charges Dropped in Shotgun Pellets Case

The most serious charges against a convicted felon accused of firing a shotgun in the direction of four Wilkes-Barre cops in September, hitting them with pellets, will be dropped, his attorney said Tuesday.

Vishamraj Ramnarain, 34, of Queens, N.Y., appeared in Wilkes-Barre Central Court on Tuesday morning for a scheduled preliminary hearing.

His attorney, Mark Mack, told Magisterial District Judge Martin Kane that city police officers have agreed to drop nine of the 16 counts against Ramnarain, including four counts of aggravated assault against a police officer with a deadly weapon.

However, Ramnarain agreed to waive serious felony firearms charges to Luzerne County Court for a possible plea. They include illegal possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, obliterating firearm identification marks, and carrying a firearm without a license.

Three counts of propulsion of missiles, four counts of recklessly endangering another person and two of the four counts of aggravated assault were withdrawn Tuesday.

Mack said the police have agreed to drop the remaining two aggravated assault charges when a deal is finalized in county court. The officers involved were in the courtroom, but said little besides confirming the deal.

“You don’t know how lucky you are,” Kane told Ramnarain. “Be thankful the officers went along with your attorney.”

Ramnarain remains free on $100,000 bail.

According to arrest papers:
The four city police officers – Jason Anthony, John Majikes, Michael McGrath and Joseph Ziegler – were struck by shotgun pellets the early morning hours of Sept. 8 while they investigated a report of a fight on Parrish Street. Ramnarain told officers he was “just shooting into the air.” Police said he admitted he was involved in a fight with a man and went to his aunt’s house to retrieve guns. He said he emerged with the guns and started shooting in the man’s direction to “intimidate” him.

The officers were not injured because of distance they were away from the shooter, police said.

Courtesy of Citizen’s Voice
Written by Bob Kalinowski