Hawthorn man accused of harassing and threatening to kill his family faces court today

JEFFERSON CO., Pa. (EYT) – A Hawthorn man who allegedly harassed and threatened to kill his father and family in Brookville is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

According to court documents, a preliminary hearing for the 47-year-old Rocky Ryan Ruffnerof Hawthorn was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 25, in the office of District Judge Gregory Bazylak.

He is accused of the following charges in three separate criminal proceedings:

• Terrorist threats with intent to terrorize another person, Offense 3 (four counts)
• Harassment – ​​indecency, threat, etc., misdemeanor 3 (four counts)
• Contempt for breach of an order or agreement, IC (indirect criminal contempt)
• Contempt for breach of an order or agreement

Background:

According to the first of three criminal complaints, the Brookville County Police Department received a report of terrorist threats from a known male victim at approximately 6 p.m. on August 25.

The victim stated he was near Walter Dick Park Road and a black Hyundai SUV drove past him and headed toward the park. The victim was about to drive away from the park when the truck stopped about 100 yards from his vehicle. The driver then yelled a racial slur and drove toward the park, the complaint states.

The victim said he never saw the truck again and thought it was “just a child,” the complaint states.

Later that day, the victim found a message on his landline answering machine containing the same racist phrase that the person in the black Hyundai had previously shouted at him, the complaint states.

Investigators were shown the recording and heard a “distorted” voice using a three-word phrase that included a racial slur. The victim believed the suspect was his son. Rocky Ruffinsays the complaint.

Ruffner apparently last lived in California, but is believed to be back in Pennsylvania, the complaint says.

Police obtained a copy of a protective order against Ruffner, signed by Judge John H. Foradora in the Jefferson County Courthouse on May 2, 2024, and valid until May 2, 2027, under the case number 303-2024. The protective order against Ruffner included two known victims and included a no-contact and no-entry order, the complaint states.

Police were told that Ruffner was known for dyeing his hair from red to black and also had a full beard, the complaint said.

On August 27, police received new information that Ruffner had made contact with the victims by phone. The victim reported that the number and voice identified in the message from that day were the same number and voice used in the August 25 message.

In this case, Ruffner was accused of the following:

• Contempt for breach of an order or agreement, IC (indirect criminal contempt)

Case of disregard

In a second complaint, investigators described voicemails the victims received on Aug. 27. The known female victim provided police with several voicemails, one of which contains Ruffner's voice saying, “Christ is coming to kill you, you sinful (racial slur),” the complaint states.

In another voicemail, according to the complaint, Ruffner allegedly said, “God (swear word, racial slur), I'm coming to kill you.”

The victim provided police with a copy of several voicemails from Ruffner, the complaint states.

Ruffner was accused of the following offense in this case:

• Contempt for breach of an order or agreement

Case of terrorist threats

According to a third criminal complaint, the known male victim told police on August 27 that Ruffner had been calling more frequently since his first meeting with police on August 25.

On one of the calls, the victim hung up without saying anything. On another call, Ruffner was yelling and the victim could not understand what he was saying. The victim said these calls occurred between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m., the complaint states.

Another voicemail message from Ruffner read, “Christ is coming to kill you, you sinful (racial slur).” The last message that came from Ruffner was on August 27 at approximately 7:00 a.m. That message read, “God (expletive, racial slur), I'm coming to kill you,” the complaint states.

The male victim stated that he identified Ruffner's voice in the voicemails and that the phone number was the same each time, the complaint states.

• Terrorist threats with intent to terrorize another person, Offense 3 (four counts)
• Harassment – ​​indecency, threat, etc., misdemeanor 3 (four counts)

Vandalism and arson in Allegheny County

In Allegheny County, Ruffner is accused of a chain of events that began on Tuesday, August 27, with the smashing of windows at a shopping center.

According to Robinson Police, a man named Rocky Ruffner, 47, of Hawthorn, used his truck to smash the doors of a JC Penney store in the Mall at Robinson just after 7:00 a.m. on August 27.

The mall's security service said that a toilet wall in the mall was also smeared with feces.

Later, Allegheny County police were called to the Uber/Lyft parking lot at Pittsburgh International Airport for a vehicle fire. When they arrived, they found a white pickup truck on fire. Witnesses told police that a man had set the fire and was carrying a large knife.

Officers approached the suspect, but he pulled out a knife and ran away. When police ordered him to stop, he continued running, but dropped the knife into a trash can and eventually surrendered.

On Wednesday, August 28, authorities were able to confirm that Rocky Ruffner was the same man involved in the arson.

He was charged with the following offenses in Allegheny County:

August 26, 2024, filed by Pittsburgh Police

• Damage to property, misdemeanor 3
• Improper conduct, offense 3

August 27, 2024, filed by the Robinson Township Police Department

• Criminal damage, offense 3 (two counts)
• Criminal damage, summary (two counts)
• Reckless driving, summary
• Accidents involving damage to unattended vehicles, summary

August 27, 2024, filed by the Allegheny County Police Department

• Arson – Failure to control or report a dangerous fire, Offense 1
• Reckless endangerment of another person, misdemeanor 2
• Resisting arrest, misdemeanor 2
• Fleeing arrest or detention on foot, misdemeanor 2
• Escape, Offense 2

Ruffner is currently in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting preliminary hearings on the above-mentioned cases.

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