Pine Grove man has most serious charges dropped in alleged threat against his mother
Aug. 5—PORT CARBON — A man charged with pulling a handgun on his mother after she refused to give him her cellphone while the two were in a vehicle on June 10 had some charges dropped in a court proceeding Tuesday.
Matthew J. Zelinsky, 34, of 26 Terrace Hill Road, Pine Grove, was scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko on charges of two felony counts of robbery and one misdemeanor count each of theft, terroristic threats, receiving stolen property and simple assault.
Prosecutors withdrew the robbery, terroristic threats and simple assault charges after speaking with Zelinsky's parents prior to the hearing.
Zelinsky then decided not to have a hearing and waived the remaining charges — theft and receiving stolen property — to Schuylkill County Court, where he can plead guilty or enter a not guilty plea and request a trial.
Zelinsky was arrested by state police Trooper Bradley Tymchyshyn of the Schuylkill Haven station in connection with an incident in the northbound lanes of Route 61 in Blythe Township around 2:45 p.m.
Tymchyshyn said he was called to the Zelinsky home and spoke to his mother, Colleen Zelinsky, who said the two were on their way home from Walmart where she took him to get a cellphone and that they were near the entrance to the former Schuylkill Mall when Matthew Zelinsky kept asking for her cellphone and she kept telling him no.
The phone, an iPhone 11 valued at $500, was inside the woman's purse and after telling her son several times he could not have it, he pulled a firearm out of his pants pocket and attempted to grab her purse.
The woman reported her purse was around her neck so her son could not take it, but she eventually gave him the phone and he put the firearm away, Tymchyshyn said.
Colleen Zelinsky also reported having to pull over for a moment because she was in shock after what happened. Tymchyshyn said the woman said her son tried to call several numbers and that he was also stressed about an upcoming court hearing.
John Zelinsky, the defendant's father, said when his wife and son got home, Matthew Zelinsky immediately went to the garage.
Tymchyshyn said John Zelinsky gave permission for the garage to be searched and that the search uncovered a black Smith and Wesson .38-caliber handgun loaded with five bullets in the bottom shelf of a tool box on a back wall.
The trooper said four of the bullets were Winchester hollow points and the fifth a .38-caliber snake shot round.
When he first arrived at the Zelinsky house, Tymchyshyn said he spoke to Matthew Zelinsky, who he said denied knowing anything about a firearm.
The trooper said he told him the reason he was there and Matthew Zelinsky replied, "how about my parents pulled a gun on me."
