Dibert

A Claysburg man accused of beating and tying a woman to a tree in the middle of the woods had new charges filed against him in a separate but related case in which he held the same woman captive for over a month.

William Phoenix Dibert, 27, was arraigned Nov. 21 by Magisterial District Judge Andrew L. Blattenberger on single felony counts each of possession of a firearm prohibited, kidnap to inflict injury/terror, strangulation and flight to avoid apprehension, as well as single misdemeanor counts each of simple assault and unlawful restraint causing serious bodily injury.

Unable to post $500,000 bail, he was remanded to the Blair County Prison. His preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 12 before Blattenberger.

The new charges stem from the victim’s father going to the Greenfield Township Police Department on Feb. 19 to report that neither he nor his ex-wife, the victim’s mother, had seen or heard from the victim since Jan. 26. He asked officers to perform a welfare check and agreed that, if they couldn’t locate the victim, she would be listed as a missing person. The father also told officers an individual had taken the victim to Dibert’s residence, and Dibert said if the victim ever came back, she would not leave alive, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Officers then went to the area around Dibert’s residence to speak with neighbors, one of whom reported that the victim and Dibert “might spend the night in the recreational camper on the property.” When officers checked the camper, no one was inside, but there was evidence that someone had been staying there, the report states.

About 5 a.m. on Feb. 28, 2024, officers executed a search warrant on both Dibert and a neighbor’s property due to Dibert’s continued evasion and the suspected assistance of family members and neighbors in alerting him to law enforcement’s presence. State police drones then captured images of a person fleeing the property into the wooded area, court documents state.

Once the scene was secured, officers located the victim, who confirmed Dibert had been with her and fled from a shed on the neighbor’s property when he heard noise from law enforcement vehicles. The victim also told officers that Dibert had used a trailer on the neighbor’s property and used a firearm equipped with a suppressor and scope that was later located in the trailer.

Due to inclement weather, law enforcement was not able to locate Dibert and eventually had to cease searching. In its search, state police also found four other firearms on Dibert’s property, according to the affidavit.

In an interview at the Blair County District Attorney’s Office, the victim confirmed she had been held against her will since Jan. 26. The victim said there were points during her captivity in which Dibert would tie her to a structural post within a barn-style building on the Dibert property and strangle her. It was then determined that, due to the restraints and assaults by Dibert, the victim required medical attention and was transferred to UPMC Altoona. She was diagnosed with injuries including a broken nose and malnutrition, court documents state.

On March 1, officers went to the property where the victim had been found. The resident told officers he hadn’t seen Dibert in several weeks, but when he did, Dibert would be walking through the property. He told officers he wouldn’t call the police on Dibert because by the time officers got there, Dibert would be gone and then he would be in fear of his property being damaged, the report states.

This case is separate but related to an incident that occurred on Aug. 21, 2023, when police were dispatched to a residence along the 300 block of Hilltop Road for a report of a woman on the caller’s porch “ringing the doorbell and saying (Dibert) was trying to hurt her.” On scene, officers met with the victim, who was bleeding and had bruise marks on her arms, face and hands. She told police Dibert threatened to kill her, smashed her phone and strangled her. Helicopters and officers on foot searched for Dibert, but were unable to locate him, court documents state.

The victim was taken to UPMC Altoona, where she told officers the ordeal with Dibert began about July 31,

2023, when he forced her away from a different Hilltop Road residence to a small cabin in the woods. At the cabin, Dibert pushed the victim to the ground and beat her before striking her over the head with a rifle. The victim said Dibert told her “I’m going to show you how much I love you, I should just f***ing kill you,” the report states.

The victim said during a fight a few days later, Dibert again pushed her to the ground and beat her before repeatedly hitting her head off a rock. Dibert also choked her until she lost consciousness, with the victim telling officers that Dibert would usually strangle her when they got into arguments, the report states.

The victim said she ran to a neighbor’s house and went inside fearing for her life, but they allowed Dibert inside and ignored her cries for help. Dibert then dragged the victim to a camp by her hair and tied her to a tree using chain and wire. She was eventually able to escape and made it to a different neighbor’s house on Aug. 21, 2023, which is when police were called, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Officers noted a previous investigation through which they had been able to obtain a search warrant for Dibert’s Facebook records. Through those records, officers were able to see that Dibert owned and possessed firearms despite having previously pled guilty to a felony burglary charge.