Metro

A city man accused of threatening a woman with a gun in front of her seven children had 14 of the 22 charges against him withdrawn ahead of his preliminary hearing in Blair County Central Court on Wednesday.

Jamill Lee Fowlkes, 34, originally faced three felony counts of endangering the welfare of children, single felony counts of possession of a firearm prohibited, receiving stolen property and theft, as well as eight misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, four misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of children, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault, a single misdemeanor count of making terroristic threats and a summary harassment charge.

Before Fowlkes’ preliminary hearing began, First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith asked presiding Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones to consolidate the eight misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person into a single count, as well as withdraw the four misdemeanor counts and three felony counts of endangering the welfare of children.

Jones bound the remaining charges to court. Fowlkes faces single felony counts of theft, receiving stolen property and possession of a firearm prohibited, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault, single misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and making terroristic threats, as well as a summary harassment charge.

The victim testified that Fowlkes took her phone and called her male friend on Facetime to determine if the friend knew about Fowlkes’ and the victim’s relationship. Fowlkes became angry and retrieved the victim’s gun, telling her that she “better start talking” to specify who she was in a relationship with.

“He didn’t point it or anything,” the victim said about Fowlkes and the gun. “He put it in his pocket.”

She said Fowlkes also had her call people and tell them she was lying about him being abusive.

Smith asked where the victim’s children were during this incident, to which the victim said they were home but not in the room.

Altoona police officer Zach Nealen said when he arrived on scene at an apartment along the 2200 block of Broad Avenue, the victim was “very upset, crying” and “seemed relieved to see police.”

“She had a fat lip,” Nealen said. “I made the comment that it looked like she got botox. She said she didn’t.”

Nealen said he does “a lot” of what he does “by memory” when questioned by Fowlkes’ attorney Assistant Public Defender Tyler Rowles about verbage used in the criminal complaint regarding Fowlkes allegedly hitting the victim with her phone.

“He hit her with her phone,” Nealen said, causing the victim’s lip to swell.

Officers then assisted the victim in trying to locate the firearm before it was found on top of a kitchen cabinet, Nealen said.

Fowlkes’ criminal history showed he had prior convictions in 2013 and 2016, making him a person not to possess a firearm, the police report states.

Rowles made no arguments against Fowlkes’ remaining charges being bound to court due to Smith’s requests for consolidations and withdrawals. Smith only asked for the remaining charges to be sent to the court of common pleas.

Fowlkes remains in custody at the Blair County Prison in lieu of $350,000 bail.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.