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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- A city man who allegedly assaulted officers trying to take him into custody for a domestic violence incident was convicted on all counts Thursday afternoon.
A Blair County jury of six men and seven women deliberated about half an hour before finding Daniel Carl Morse, 33, guilty of eight felony counts of aggravated assault, single felony counts of disarming a law enforcement officer and criminal attempt – escape, eight misdemeanor counts of simple assault, three misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.
Once the jury left the courtroom, presiding Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard ruled that Morse was also guilty of eight summary counts of harassment, a summary count of criminal mischief and a misdemeanor count of DUI. A misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia had previously been withdrawn.
Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks, who prosecuted the case alongside Assistant District Attorney Trevor Spade, then moved to have Morse's bail revoked. Morse has been incarcerated at the Blair County Prison in lieu of $200,000 bail since his arrest in April 2025.
Weeks told Bernard that Morse's criminal history was "very lengthy" and that he had previously been convicted on similar counts. He said while some of Morse's charges will merge for means of sentencing, he was still facing in excess of six years on one felony count of aggravated assault.
After speaking with Morse, defense attorney William Wigman said they had no objection to the revocation as Morse had been in custody since the onset of the case.
Bernard granted Weeks's motion and Morse was remanded to the prison with bail denied to await sentencing. She then scheduled Morse's sentencing for 10 a.m. Jan. 12 and ordered a pre-sentence investigation be completed.
The charges were filed April 12, 2025, after Morse and a victim appeared at the state police barracks in Hollidaysburg to report a domestic violence incident. Officers testified during trial that the victim was bleeding and had a large lump with swelling around one of her eyes.
Surveillance footage from the barracks' lobby showed Morse talking to an on-site dispatcher using the barracks’ corded lobby phone while grabbing onto the victim to prevent her from leaving.
After the dispatcher alerted officers to the situation, they are seen entering the lobby and getting between Morse and the woman.
State police determined the incident occurred within the Altoona Police Department's jurisdiction and officers kept Morse busy while Altoona police responded to their location.
In talking with Morse, officers said he believed the victim had formed a “master plan” to “take his life.” After about 45 minutes of waiting, Morse can be seen on video suddenly attacking the officers.
Following the altercation, Morse was handcuffed and taken to UPMC Altoona by ambulance. En route, he tried to escape and take an officer's firearm.
Paramedics gave Morse several sedatives to no effect and it wasn't until the ambulance arrived at UPMC Altoona and additional sedatives were administered that Morse was able to be taken under control.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.