Man charged in incident involving firearm

A Tionesta man is facing charges after being accused of trapping his wife inside his Route 62 house and also possessing a firearm when he should not be.

Franklin state police said in a criminal complaint that a woman told them that she and her husband, Nicholas Geffel, 28, had recently separated and she went to their house to retrieve some of her belongings while Geffel was not there Thursday night through early Friday morning.

The woman told police that she had to crawl through a window to access the residence because it was locked, according to the complaint.

The woman was joined by a male friend who brought a shotgun and pistol for protection, the complaint said.

As the woman was collecting her possessions, Geffel arrived at the residence and crawled through the window, and he was upset, the complaint said.

Geffel kept screaming as he asked where the woman’s friend was and to get her friend “out of here,” the complaint said.

The woman said she held onto Geffel and said, “No guns, don’t shoot,” the complaint said.

Geffel then discharged his pistol once while he was beside her, the complaint said.

The woman did not say if Geffel shot at her or her friend, the complaint said.

After Geffel discharged his pistol, the woman’s friend unloaded his shotgun, showed Geffel that it was empty and let Geffel know he was leaving, the complaint said.

Once the woman’s friend left the house, Geffel locked the door behind him, the complaint said, and prevented the woman from leaving the house for about 10 to 15 minutes.

As the woman attempted to leave several times, Geffel held the door shut and pushed her away from the door, the complaint said.

Geffel eventually stopped following the woman around and she was able to leave the house, the complaint said.

When the woman got into her car, Geffel jumped onto the roof of her car, the complaint said.

When the woman began to drive, Geffel jumped off the roof and attempted to stand in front of her vehicle, the complaint said.

The woman said she was able to drive around him and exit the premises, the complaint said.

Police arrived at the residence, where they attempted to call for Geffel to leave the house, but did not receive a response, the complaint said.

The troopers continued to call for Geffel, asking him to come outside, as they established a perimeter around the house, the complaint said.

At about 12:25 a.m., “troopers broke a window and ordered Geffel to come outside,” the complaint said.

When Geffel exited the front door, he was taken into custody without incident, the complaint said.

Troopers conducted an interview with a neighbor, who observed someone arriving at Geffel’s house, the complaint said.

The neighbor made Geffel aware of the situation through text, the complaint said.

Geffel entered the house later, and the neighbor said he heard two gunshots come from the house while Geffel and the woman were inside, the complaint said.

Troopers discovered Geffel has a criminal history, “and he was adjudicated delinquent on July 28, 2007, for Arson and Burglary,” the complaint said.

“These adjudications,” the complaint said, “prohibit Geffel from possessing a firearm under Title 18, Section 6105(o)(7).”

Geffel was charged with misdemeanor counts of person not to possess/use firearms – delinquent, simple assault, false imprisonment, recklessly endangering another person and terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another.

Geffel was arraigned Friday and placed in Venango County jail after he was unable to post bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.