Richard Frisby, 47, of Lansdowne, faces felony charges of terroristic threats and witness intimidation involving his former girlfriend, Erica Vought, and James Pasco, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. Citing a criminal complaint and affidavit, the newspaper reports that Frisby is being held at Lackawanna County Prison on $200,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 21 before Magisterial District Judge Paul Keeler.
Charge grading and the separate October case
The Tuesday charges are reported as felonies, but Pennsylvania’s general grading rules vary by offense. A DeLuco Law explanation of Pennsylvania’s terroristic-threats statute says the offense is usually a first-degree misdemeanor, with felony grading possible in specified circumstances involving disruption of a covered facility. A Pennsylvania Superior Court decision hosted by FindLaw reproduces the witness-intimidation grading provisions: threats of force or violence can make the offense a felony, and its degree depends on the most serious charge in the case in which the witness or victim was allegedly to be influenced. These general provisions do not establish how the charges in Frisby’s case will be resolved.
The Times-Tribune also reports that Frisby’s charges from an Oct. 5 incident remain pending. He was arrested in connection with an alleged assault at Vought’s Crown Avenue residence and released on bail with a condition barring contact with her. The newspaper says he then called and messaged her, after which she blocked his number. The pending counts include strangulation, simple assault, marijuana possession, drug-paraphernalia possession and harassment.
Police response to the Sunday report
Vought and Pasco went to Scranton police headquarters to report threats and stayed there for safety, the Times-Tribune reports. Frisby allegedly continued calling Vought while she was at the station. Officer Melissa Forsette spoke with him during a call and directed him to the headquarters address. Police later pinged Frisby’s phone, which indicated he was near the station; officers found him at a pizza shop on South Washington Avenue and arrested him, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper’s account of the complaint and affidavit says the events began while Vought was at Pasco’s Cherry Street home. Frisby allegedly called repeatedly from an unknown number, arrived around 5:30 p.m. looking for her, and left after Pasco intervened. He then left voice messages threatening both Vought and Pasco, claiming he had located Vought through a cellphone ping, claiming to have a gun and saying he was coming for her. The messages also conveyed that he was not concerned about police involvement, the Times-Tribune reports.
