By Bobby Kerlik
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review
PITTSBURGH — A South Side man no longer wants to prosecute the Pittsburgh firefighter he accused of assault.
Aaron Gilkey told a district judge hearing the case Wednesday that he would be satisfied with a proposal by defense attorney James Wymard: Drop the charges against firefighter Timothy Coyne and his brother Brian, and the Coynes would write letters of apology, take alcohol awareness classes and pay for damage to Gilkey’s home.
"(Gilkey) is amenable to having the charges dropped,” Wymard said.
District Judge Gene Ricciardi rejected the proposal and postponed the Coynes’ hearing on charges of assaulting Gilkey after he yelled at Brian Coyne for urinating on the front of his home early Jan 9.
“You in no way should feel pressured,” Ricciardi told Gilkey, explaining that it’s up to the District Attorney’s Office to press charges. “There’s never any pressure on you as a victim.”
Gilkey told police he saw Brian Coyne, 26, of Lawrenceville urinating in the small yard about 3 a.m. Jan. 9. He confronted them and about five men entered his home, he said.
Brian Coyne grabbed Gilkey by the throat and slammed him into a set of steps with help from Timothy Coyne, 23, of Lawrenceville, according to a criminal complaint. Police arrested the men a few blocks away.
A fire bureau trial board last month allowed Timothy Coyne to return to work after being suspended for a month.
Assistant District Attorney Ann Steiner told the judge she wanted to proceed with yesterday’s hearing. Wymard requested the postponement, saying he had a meeting set up with a supervisor in the District Attorney’s Office to discuss the case.
“The (Coynes) were out celebrating and one of them had a nature call and it happened to be the victim’s house,” Wymard said. Gilkey “was upset and rightfully so.”
Gilkey declined to comment after the hearing.
Copyright 2010 Tribune Review Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved