NORRISTOWN — A Lansdale man wanted on charges he allegedly used a brick to brutally beat a man during an altercation in Hatfield Township was arrested without incident on Friday.
Joshua Ryan Ronan, 30, of the 100 block of East Main Street, was taken into custody after police found him at a female friend’s apartment in Lansdale, according to a statement released by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, Hatfield Police Chief William Tierney and Lansdale Police Chief Michael Trail on Friday.
Ronan was arraigned Friday afternoon before District Court Judge Jodi Griffis on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the alleged 11:11 p.m. Nov. 5, 2024, assault of Mark Christopher Miller, 41, during a gathering of friends at a residence in the 1200 block of Cabin Road in Hatfield.
Griffis sent Ronan’s bail at $500,000 cash and he was remanded to the county jail to await a Dec. 3 preliminary hearing on the charges.
The investigation began when Hatfield police were dispatched to the Cabin Road residence for a report of an overdose, according to a criminal complaint filed by county Detective Anthony Caso and Hatfield Township Detective Ryan Saunders.
First responders found Miller unresponsive on the stone driveway of the residence.
“Miller had obvious signs of blunt force trauma to his head and was bleeding from his head,” Caso and Saunders wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Believing that Miller may be suffering from an overdose, first responders administered Narcan and he was transported to Grandview Hospital for treatment. Miller was treated for blunt force trauma to the head, including missing teeth, numerous broken facial bones, a fractured scapula and bilateral bleeds on his brain, according to court papers.
“Miller was completely unresponsive and continuously audibly moaned while being treated but was unable to speak and answer questions,” Caso and Saunders alleged.
A trauma surgeon described Miller’s injuries as “life-threatening” and told police it would be a few days until medical officials would know if Miller could survive the injuries.
Detectives said they found junk and bricks in the area of the driveway “that could have been used in the assault of Miller.”
The investigation determined that Miller and Ronan were at the residence that night visiting friends when they got into an argument in the driveway of the house.
When others at the gathering were made aware of the altercation, they went outside to investigate. Outside, they found Ronan standing over an unresponsive Miller, who was bleeding from his head and face, and Ronan with blood on his shirt, and they called 911, according to court papers.
Ronan departed the residence prior to the police arriving.
When detectives searched a Toyota Tacoma vehicle in which Ronan left the scene, they found a “red brick wrapped in a red balaclava” or face mask. The brick was located on the rear passenger side floor where Ronan had been sitting at the time he was transported by others from the scene of the assault, according to court documents.
“This would be consistent with the mechanism of injuries sustained by the victim,” Caso and Saunders alleged.
Court documents alleged Ronan has an extensive criminal history dating back to 2014 that included arrests for theft, drug possession, simple assault and strangulation and DUI for which he spent brief stints in jail.
