A Madison Twp. man faces charges related to a home invasion in Wayne County, state police said.
Troopers responded to a residence in Lehigh Twp. Wednesday around 12:49 a.m. for the report of a home invasion and assault, police said.
While traveling to the scene, troopers were informed a male victim was bleeding from the head, according to a criminal complaint.
Hermann (Courtesy Wayne County district attorney’s office)
The victim – who was transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton – suffered blunt force trauma injuries to his head and was going in and out of consciousness, police said.
Troopers encountered a blood trail at the residence and collected a New York Yankees baseball hat, a Milwaukee baseball hat, a silver pendant necklace, and black glasses, according to the complaint.
A resident of the home informed troopers he had just fallen asleep when he heard a bang downstairs and found the victim covered in blood, police said.
Two male suspects threw a vacuum cleaner through the kitchen window as they were leaving, according to the criminal complaint.
Another witness told troopers he saw two males, including one who was hitting the victim in the head with a chair, police said. The other male – identified as Thomas Hermann – was pinning the man down and punching him in the head, the witness told troopers.
The victim told troopers he woke up to the sound of his dog barking and was assaulted by two males who entered his residence, police said.
Through an investigation, Hermann was determined to have the facial features and glasses noted by the victim, according to the criminal complaint. Additionally, the glasses found at the scene matched the glasses in Hermann’s driver’s license photo, officers said.
During the investigation, troopers discovered Hermann had been seen around noon Tuesday at a gas station in Lehigh Twp. and that the Milwaukee baseball hat he was wearing matched the one at the crime scene, police said. Hermann was also wearing the same style of black glasses, and a closer inspection of images appeared to show a pin on the hat which was also seized at the victim’s residence, investigators said.
Police charged Hermann, 55, with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of burglary, two counts of simple assault, one count of criminal trespass, one count of criminal mischief, one count of conspiracy, and one count of harassment.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Wayne County Courthouse.
The investigation remains ongoing, law enforcement officials said.