Johnstown man sentenced to prison for theft, strangulation
Nov. 1—EBENSBURG — A Johnstown man was sentenced in Cambria County court on Monday for assaulting a woman in April.
William Eugene Huddleston, 32, was sentenced to nine to 23 months in county prison with auto- matic parole after nine months by Judge David J. Tulowitzki.
Huddleston entered a guilty plea in September to charges of resisting arrest, simple assault, theft by un- lawful taking and reckless- ly endangering another person.
Huddleston's attorney, Maribeth Schaffer, noted that while in prison, Huddleston has been diagnosed with mental-health issues that he is now learning to live with, which impacted his prior behavior while undiagnosed.
In April, Huddleston assaulted a woman in Westmont, robbed her of her $800 cellphone and stole her SUV, then led police on a chase through the city.
According to a criminal complaint, Huddleston was with the woman at a home in Westmont when he became angry because she would not give him a ride. He then allegedly strangled her, stole her cellphone and keys and drove off in her 2012 Kia Sorento.
West Hills said the police found the Kia Sorento parked on Boyd Avenue and when they questioned, Huddleston jumped into the SUV and sped away.
The chase was discontinued by the officer when Huddleston allegedly sped through three stop signs in an area with children and adults.
The victim has passed away in an unrelated incident since the attack occurred.
Katie Smolen is a reporter with The Tribune-Democrat. Follow her on Twitter @KSmolen1230.
