Woman recalls being beaten during carjacking outside Westmoreland prison

A 65-year-old woman testified Friday she initially couldn’t feel any pain after being beaten outside the Westmoreland County Prison in Hempfield last year as a recently released inmate carjacked her vehicle with her infant grandson still strapped in the backseat.

“He punched me on the right side of my face, neck, shoulder and back to get me out the door. I screamed and told him I just wanted to get my grandson out of his seat, but he just backed up and was gone just like that,” an emotional Dolores Pearlman of West Leechburg testified Friday before Hempfield District Judge Mark Mansour.

“I didn’t even feel any pain. … I was so worried about the baby,” Pearlman said.

Based on testimony from Pearlman, the baby’s mother Dolores Scratchard, county Detective Richard Kranitz and state police Trooper Adam Schrock, defendant Thomas Lee Williams, 36, of Philadelphia was ordered to stand trial on charges including kidnapping, robbery of a vehicle, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, driving without a license and two counts each of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.

Schrock testified blood tests showed that Williams was under the influence of anxiety medication, marijuana and opioids Dec. 4 when he assaulted Pearlman and fled with her grandson, 14-month-old Adrian Pearlman, in the car.

Williams drove toward Youngwood, where he crashed about two miles away, and ran into the woods, leaving Adrian strapped in the car.

Scratchard tearfully testified her son was treated at Excela Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg but was transferred to UPMC Children’s Hospital, where he was kept “for nearly two days” for observation.

“He had marks on his collarbone, down his neck and bruises on the shin. The doctors told me the marks on his neck were from the seat belt as a result of the accident,” Scratchard said. “When I left him to go visit (his) dad in the prison, he was sleeping in the car seat.”

Kranitz told Mansour that county park police Officer Thomas Fitzgerald interviewed Williams shortly after he was apprehended in nearby woods with the assistance of a K-9.

“He denied being under the influence, and he said he understood what had occurred,” Kranitz said. “He told us there was no excuse for his actions. He said he just blacked out.

“Mr. Williams said he had left the prison, and saw (Pearlman’s car) was running, and he took the opportunity to take it and said ‘(Pearlman) began fighting with me,’” Kranitz said. “He said he made a bad choice. … It was a dumb choice. But he said he needed transportation.”

Kranitz said Williams told investigators he hoped to drive to the train station in Greensburg and return to Philadelphia.

Schrock said Williams admitted to state police investigators in a subsequent interview that he was under the influence of crack cocaine, heroin and pills.

Prison officials said Williams had only been locked up “for one day” after being arrested on a bench warrant related to a South Greensburg drug-dealing conviction. Inmates who are brought in on pre-trial detainers are not subjected to a strip search or the new body scan machine, which may have detected whether he was carrying contraband, Warden John Walton said.

While leaving Friday’s hearing, Williams admitted to reporters that he was crying during portions of the victims’ testimony.

“I was very upset. I’m very regretful. … I was under the influence of the medication,” he said. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Mansour sent Williams to the county prison on $250,000 bail while he awaits trial.

Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib.