Com. v. Barnett, B.

Superior Court of Pennsylvania·Decided January 30, 2025·No. 2027 EDA 2023·Unpublished

Opinion

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA

:

v. :

:

:

BRIAN THOMAS BARNETT :

:

Appellant : No. 2027 EDA 2023

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered July 17, 2023 In the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-15-CR-0000279-2021

BEFORE: STABILE, J., McLAUGHLIN, J., and LANE, J. MEMORANDUM BY McLAUGHLIN, J.: FILED JANUARY 30, 2025 Brian Thomas Barnett appeals from the judgment of sentence following his convictions for burglary, use or possession of electric incapacitation device, disarming law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, criminal trespass, firearms not to be carried without a license, and two counts of aggravated assault. 1 Barnett challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the burglary, aggravated assault, and firearms convictions. We reverse the judgment of sentence for firearms not to be carried without a license. We affirm the judgment of sentence for all other convictions and remand for resentencing.

At Barnett’s March 2023 bench trial, Barnett’s sister, Jennifer Barnett-

Quattlebaum, testified that on December 13, 2020, Barnett called her and

asked where their father was. N.T., Mar. 15, 2023, at 11-12. Barnett-

118 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 3502(a)(1)(i), 908.1(a)(1), 5104.1, 5104, 3503(b)(1)(i), 6106(a), and 2702(a)(3), respectively.

Quattlebaum did not respond. Id. at 12. Barnett then said, “Well, I need gas money. I’m coming to your house to get it.” Id. Barnett-Quattlebaum testified that she told Barnett she would not give him money, and he said, “Well, I’m going to get gas money from [D]ad.” Id. She testified that Barnett arrived at her house and was “very demanding and saying that, . . . ‘I know that [D]ad’s there even though you didn’t answer me.’” Id. She stated that Barnett said he was going to get the gas money from their father, and “he’s going to give it to me today, and I’m not going home.” Id. Barnett-Quattlebaum testified she told Barnett it was not a good time or good idea, but Barnett “[v]ery forcefully” said, “Nope, I’m going to come. I’m going to get that money and he’s going to give it to me.” Id. Barnett-Quattlebaum testified that she kept her father’s location a secret to protect her father because “the week before that there [had been] an incident that occurred.” Id. at 13.

Barnett-Quattlebaum stated that when Barnett arrived at her house, she opened the door just enough to see his face and told him to go home. Id. at 15. She said that Barnett repetitively asked where their father was and whether their father was in the house, and he refused to leave. Id. She testified Barnett pushed the door open and put his hand inside, at which point Barnett-Quattlebaum’s husband came over and they pushed the door to try to get him out. Id. at 16. She stated that Barnett “pushed the door very forcefully” so that Barnett-Quattlebaum and her husband were pushed back. Id. After several attempts, they got him back outside. Id. She testified that she called the police. Id. at 17. Barnett-Quattlebaum testified that when they

were outside, she told him to go home, and “[a]t one point he pull[ed] up his shirt and was like, I’m going to get in your house. I know [D]ad is in there and you’re hiding him.” Id. at 18. She testified that she saw “in the front of his pants . . . two handles which were a knife and a gun.” Id. Barnett- Quattlebaum testified that she felt “[w]orried, nervous, upset, scared,” because she “didn’t know what to expect from him.” Id. at 20.

Barnett-Quattlebaum testified that at one point during the struggle, her father came downstairs. Id. at 21. She stated that she yelled at her father to go back upstairs and that Barnett had a weapon. Id. at 22. She testified that her father offered Barnett money and said, “Just stop. Go home.” Id. at 28. She testified her father did not go upstairs immediately, but did go after she screamed it a few times. Id. at 22.

Barnett-Quattlebaum testified that when the police arrived, she briefly explained that they had had a fight, Barnett had been trying to get in her house, and Barnett threatened her with a weapon. Id. at 23. She said that the police asked Barnett what happened, and he said he was there to see his father and then ran “to the other side of the house” and across the neighbor’s yard. Id. at 24. She testified the police caught him “about two houses up in the middle of the street.” Id. She stated that when the police caught up with Barnett, there was a struggle and Barnett was trying to flee, and Barnett wrestled the cops. Id. She stated that other officers arrived and “there’s other cops rushing in and parking and running up to them. So it’s a whole big crowd

of cops in the street surrounding him, and he’s still fighting.” Id. at 25. She testified that her brother was a former wrestler and rugby player. Id.

Detective James Chieffo testified that on December 13, 2020, he and Officer Jennifer Schreiber were working a patrol shift and were dispatched to a domestic dispute with a suspect armed with a knife. Id. at 62-63. When he arrived, he saw Barnett-Quattlebaum and her husband standing outside their residence in a “defense posture where they were in fear for their own safety” and Barnett standing in front of them. Id. at 64. Detective Chieffo testified that he approached Barnett, who backed away, turned, and ran. Id. at 64-65. He stated that he and Officer Schreiber chased Barnett, and he told Officer Schreiber to deploy her taser. Id. at 65. He testified that it appeared both prongs of Officer Schreiber’s taser struck Barnett, but it did not have an effect. Id. Detective Chieffo testified he caught up to Barnett in the street and a “tussle occurred.” Id. He testified that as he was grabbing Barnett’s hoodie, Barnett pulled back and Detective Chieffo’s left foot and leg bent underneath him. Id.

Detective Chieffo said he realized he was injured, looked up, and saw Officer Schreiber struggling with Barnett. Id. at 66. He stated he jumped up and grabbed Barnett and was able to take him to the ground. Id. He testified that Barnett did not comply with orders to put his hands behind his back. Id. Detective Chieffo testified he was trying to keep Barnett’s hands away from his waist area because he knew Barnett had a knife. Id. He told Officer Schreiber to deploy her stun gun, which she did, but it did not have any effect

on Barnett. Id. He testified that Officer Schrieber then told him that Barnett had the taser. Id. Detective Chieffo testified that he saw Barnett’s hand in control of the taser, and he grabbed Barnett’s hand to try to “smash it, grab it, keep hitting his hand on the ground getting him to drop the taser and he didn’t.” Id. at 66-67. Barnett nonetheless raised the taser in Officer Schreiber’s direction. Id. at 67. Detective Chieffo testified that “[o]nce backup arrived it took several officers to subdue [Barnett] and put handcuffs on him.” Id. at 68. Detective Chieffo testified that one of the officers was able to dislodge the taser from Barnett’s hand, and during the “tussle,” Barnett’s shirt lifted and the officers found a firearm in his waistband. Id. at 69.

Detective Chieffo testified that he described the encounter as a fight because “[t]here was no complying[.]” Id. He said, “The fact that [Barnett] had disarmed or taken Officer Schreiber’s [taser] from her and had that pointed in her direction and was not complying, that was not a simple resisting arrest. That was willing to do whatever he had to.” Id. He further testified that while resisting, Barnett was trying to get to his waist, and the detective feared he was trying to reach for a weapon because he knew Barnett had a knife. Id. at 71.

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