Crime & Safety

Juvenile Charged as Adult in Alleged Golf Club Assault

Christopher Schellberg, 16, faces aggravated assault and other charges in relation to a July 4 incident in Kimberton Community Park.

Christopher Schellberg, 16, will be charged as an adult in connection to an alleged assault with a golf club that occurred in a public park on July 4.

A 30-year-old East Pikeland man suffered a fractured skull, brain hemorrhaging, inner ear damage and related injuries in the assault, according to a criminal complaint. The victim was taken to Phoenixville Hospital and then flown by helicopter to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 

Unsecured bail was set at $1 million for Schellberg at his arraignment on July 13. 

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The criminal complaint filed by East Pikeland Police states that at approximately 1:45 a.m. on July 4, the victim, his wife and two friends were riding a golf cart through Kimberton Park, located at 2202 Kimberton Rd. The complaint alleges that when the victim and his party approached the pavilion, they spotted a number of kids running away, and a case of beer was dropped.

“[The victim] and his friends picked up the beer and told the kids to get out of here,” the complaint states. “The kids tried to retrieve the beer; however, the beer fell to the ground and the group of kids ran away.”

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The group on the golf cart continued through the park, according to the criminal complaint, and stayed in one area for approximately 10 minutes. Then, police say, the victim spotted “an unknown number of males” who ran toward them wielding golf clubs. According to the complaint, the victim said he believed this to be the same group involved in the earlier incident with the beer.

“The group of males was yelling that 30-year-olds were picking on 16-year-olds and appeared angry,” according to the affidavit of probable cause. “[The victim] said the golf clubs were being held up and appeared ready to swing.”

According to police, the victim tried to calm the group down and approached the group of boys.

“[The victim] attempted to reach for one of the clubs and take it away from one of the males and at this time [the victim] was forcefully hit with a golf club on the left side of his head,” the complaint states.

During the investigation, an officer met with Schellberg in the presence of his father.

“Schellberg admitted hat he and his friends were in the park at the time of this incident and he and his friends had a confrontation with the victim and his friends,” the criminal complaint states. “Christopher Schellberg explained in detail that he was the person that hit the victim in the head with a golf club.”

According to Pennsylvania law, when a juvenile is over 15 and charged with a crime involving a deadly weapon, the juvenile is excluded from the juvenile justice system. One of the two felony charges against Schellberg is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Additionally, Schellberg was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, a felony; three counts of simple assault; possessing an instrument of crime; reckless endangerment; disorderly conduct; and summary offenses for harassment and defiant trespass.

Schellberg was arraigned July 14 and unsecured bail was set at $1 million. A preliminary hearing is set for July 21 before District Justice Theodore Michaels in Phoenixville. 


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