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Altoona man jailed after alleged incident at UPMC

An Altoona man is in jail on charges after an alleged incident at UPMC Altoona’s emergency room.

Franklin D. Koch Jr., 53, 511 23rd St., was arrested early Tuesday by UPMC Altoona police after Koch allegedly became belligerent with officers when he was confronted in the emergency room waiting room because he is not allowed at the hospital unless he is seeking medical treatment, police noted in the charges.

Koch, who had told officers he was there to use the bathroom, started screaming and swearing at the officers, calling them pigs and claiming they were there to beat him up. After repeated warnings to calm down and to stop talking, officers took Koch into custody.

As an officer was escorting the handcuffed Koch through the emergency room lobby, Koch tripped and hit his head on the wall, causing both the officer and him to fall to the floor, police noted.

Police said Koch was then taken to an emergency room bay to be treated for any injuries he may have suffered in the fall, and while being attended to by medical personnel, Koch continued to call officers pigs and other insulting names.

Koch is now charged with three counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct along with defiant trespass, resisting arrest and a drug violation for a small amount of marijuana.

Koch was jailed Tuesday in lieu of 10 percent of $10,000. A preliminary hearing is slated for Wednesday at Central Court.

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