Man charged with shooting woman in neck in Port Carbon waives hearing; victim was present to testify
Jul. 20—PORT CARBON — An Ashland man charged with shooting his estranged wife in the neck while she sat inside a vehicle in Port Carbon on May 26 waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Curtis Lamour Branch, 38, of 416 Centre St., Floor 3, currently in Schuylkill County Prison, was scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko but chose to waive the charges to Schuylkill County Court, where he can now plead guilty or enter a not guilty plea and request a trial.
The victim, Cynthia Salvador-Branch, has since recovered, and was in court Tuesday waiting to testify.
Branch was charged by state police Trooper Joshua Knepp of the Schuylkill Haven station with one count each of attempted murder in the first degree, attempted murder in the third degree, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment, possessing instruments of crime and possession of firearms prohibited, along with two counts of aggravated assault.
In paperwork filed with the court, Knepp said Salvador-Branch drove to the Port Carbon police station that day and reported to Officer Joseph Murton and Schuylkill County Domestic Relations Officer Robert Phillips that she was fighting with "Curtis" and that he shot her in the neck. The incident occurred about 1:15 p.m.
The woman was treated by Schuylkill EMS and then flown to the trauma center at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Knepp said.
Knepp said Murton was familiar with Salvador-Branch and knew "Curtis" as Curtis Branch from previous interactions. Murton was on his way to the home where the shooting happened when he saw Branch walking and took him into custody, the trooper said.
Knepp said footage from a security camera at a nearby home on Coal Street showed Salvador-Branch run from the house and get into a Dodge Journey, followed by Branch holding what appeared to be a handgun, Knepp said.
The video also shows Branch standing at the driver's side of the vehicle and firing at least one shot into the side window, shattering it, Knepp said.
The video shows Branch then walk away and return two or three minutes later as the vehicle is being driven away slowly.
A search warrant executed at the 325 Coal St. home discovered a black Taurus 9 mm handgun registered to Salvador-Branch, and a spent 9 mm shell casing was found in the middle of the street where the woman and vehicle were at the time of the shooting.
The casing appeared to match the live rounds discovered in the magazine of the Taurus weapon, Knepp said.
The trooper said a criminal history check on Branch revealed that in February 2006 he was convicted of felony criminal sale of a controlled substance in Kings County, New York, which makes him a person ineligible to possess a firearm.
