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WEBVTT O THE CHARGES ALLDAY.HE SAYS THIS HAPPENED ON APUBLIC STREET.REPORTER: IN FACT IT HAPPENEDRIGHT OUT HERE ON THE STREET.HE WAS ALLEGEDLY PARKED OUT HEREFIGHTING WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND,EVEN PUNCHING HER.PEOPLE SITTING ON THEIR PORCHESCOULD SEE IT HAPPEN, BUT TODAYHE IS STILL HOLDING HIS JOB ASEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THECOUNTY'S REPUBLICAN PARTY.HE HAS BEEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOROF ALLEGANY COUNTY'S REPUBLICANPARTY SINCE 2015, BUT NOW HE'SGOT A MUGSHOT.THE 36-YEAR-OLD FACING A CHARGEOF SIMPLE ASSAULT.IT COMES FROM WHAT HAPPENEDSATURDAY ON BAILEY AVENUE INMOUNT WASHINGTON ALLEGEDLY AFIGHT BETWEEN HE THAN A HISGIRLFRIEND INSIDE HIS CAR.THE FIGHT WAS SO LOUD A WITNESSSAID HE COULD HEAR THEGIRLFRIEND SCREAMING FROM HISPORCH.THE VICTIM TOLD PITTSBURGHPOLICE "HE PULLED HER OUT OF THEVEHICLE AND PUNCHED HER."THE OFFICER NOTING SHE HAD ASMALL SCRATCH ON HER CHIN AND ASMALL BRUCE ON HER LOWER LIP.SHE SAID HE THEN WALKED AWAYLEAVING HER ON THE SIDEWALKALONE.THE GIRLFRIEND REFUSED TO GETMEDICAL ATTENTION AND EVEN"REPEATEDLY STATED TO OFFICERSTHAT IT WAS HER FAULT THAT THISHAPPENED."NO ONE ANSWERED THE DOOR AT HISAPARTMENT, AND NO ONE FROM THECOUNTY REPUBLICANS WOULD TALK ONCAMERA.THE VICE CHAIRMAN, THOUGH, DIDTELL ME OVER THE PHONE THE CASEIS "DISAPPOINTING TO US" BUT HEHAS NOT BEEN SUSPENDED FROM HISJOB AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ORDISCIPLINED YET BECAUSE PARTYLEADERS "NEED TO LOOK INTO THISMORE CLOSELY, BECAUSE THERE ARETWO SIDE TO EVERY STORY."HIS CHARGE IS A MISDEMEANOR,HE'S DUE IN FRONT OF A JUDGE ONTHURSDAY.REPORTING ON MOUNT WASHINGTON,

Advertisement Allegheny County Republican Committee removes director who's accused of hitting girlfriend "We're disappointed in how this case is being portrayed. It simply isn't accurate," says an attorney for John Schnaedter.

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The Republican Committee of Allegheny County has removed its executive director, who is facing a criminal charge for allegedly punching his girlfriend on a Mount Washington street last weekend. John Schnaedter, 36, was arrested Saturday on a misdemeanor simple assault charge. He has been serving as executive director since 2015, according to party officials. A preliminary hearing was postponed Thursday when the alleged victim did not appear in court. "We're disappointed in how this case is being portrayed. It simply isn't accurate," said Schnaedter's attorney, Chris Thomas. "What we have here is an argument between two people dating. It escalated. My client decided to leave." According to a criminal complaint, Schnaedter and his 25-year-old girlfriend were in his vehicle parked on Bailey Avenue and were fighting so loudly that a witness at a nearby house could hear the victim screaming. The witness also said he could see punches being thrown inside the vehicle, and then saw the girlfriend laying on the sidewalk. Pittsburgh police officers said they found the woman sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle. She told them that Schnaedter "pulled her out of the vehicle and punched her," according to the criminal complaint. Officers noted she had "a small scratch on her chin and a small bruise on her lower lip." The woman told police Schnaedter walked away from the car, heading toward their apartment several blocks away. Police went to the apartment to find Schnaedter, and said they had to ring his doorbell several times before he came outside. In the criminal complaint, investigators said the victim blamed herself because "she antagonized him." She also declined to file for a protection from abuse order and, according to police, became uncooperative when officers said Schnaedter would have to be arrested or a warrant issued for him. D. Raja, chairman of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, was said to be out of the country. A statement attributed to him on Tuesday said, "The Republican Committee of Allegheny County and I take the recent police reports involving John Schnaedter very seriously, and we have suspended Mr. Schnaedter until his Thursday court hearing when a final decision will be made. We do not condone the behavior outlined in the police report, and these allegations are inconsistent with the values of our committee." The committee's vice chairman, Dave Majernik, said by phone that the Schnaedter case "is disappointing to us." Majernik also said party leaders "need to look into this more closely because there are two sides to every story."