Metro

A Hollidaysburg man on probation is back behind bars after allegedly beating and threatening a victim of his previous arrest and conviction.

Koleton Andrew Bem, 20, was arraigned Saturday before Magisterial District Judge Benjamin Jones on two felony counts each of retaliation against witness or victim and witness intimidation, one misdemeanor count each of simple assault and terroristic threats and one summary count of harassment.

Unable to post $150,000 bail, he was remanded to Blair County Prison.

Altoona police made contact with the victim on Aug. 8 and noted the victim had a swollen and bruised eye. When asked how the eye was injured, the victim said he was “jumped” near the Jaffa Shrine, but did not want to give further details out of fear of retaliation by the assailant, later confirmed to be Bem, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Police spoke with the victim’s mother about the assault and the mother initially said she was also fearful of retaliation by the assailant, but both she and the victim confirmed the assailant had previously been arrested at her residence in 2023, police records state.

The mother told police the victim was going to his girlfriend’s apartment on Aug. 6, where he allegedly encountered Bem. The victim called and told her Bem said he was going to beat up the victim for putting him in jail for two years, also threatening to kill him and his mother. The mother said she believed those threats to be plausible, according to court documents.

In an interview with police, the victim said Bem wanted to fight, but the victim refused, holding his hands behind his back. Bem allegedly proceeded to assault the victim, with an unknown third individual watching and recording the assault on a cellphone, police records state.

The victim’s girlfriend spoke to police and confirmed that an assault had taken place near her apartment, but she did not go outside to witness it. She said Bem came to her apartment afterward and showed her a video of the assault on a cellphone, according to the affidavit.

Bem was arrested in October 2023 on charges that included aggravated assault, burglary, strangulation and terroristic threats stemming from multiple incidents.

Bem took a negotiated plea in May in exchange for a prison sentence of 20 months to five years, minus a day, which made him eligible for release starting in June. He was also placed on parole and probation for 2.5 years upon release.

In that case, Bem was accused of stomping several times on an Altoona teenager’s head and hitting the teenager with a glass vase that left a gash requiring 13 stitches. In court, the victim’s mother said the victim sees a neurologist for chronic headaches and nausea from the head and eye socket injuries Bem caused.

Presiding President Judge Wade A. Kagarise warned Bem at the time of his plea that he was to “walk the line” or he would regret it.

Bem is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on the new charges on Aug. 27 before Jones.