This article was published by Tim Hahn on GoErie.com on Feb 12, 2018

An Erie man accused of seriously injuring another man in a November attack involving a pipe had the criminal charges against him held for court on Monday.

Charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, possessing an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering were held for court against 21-year-old Marcus H. Maldonado following his preliminary hearing before Erie 1st Ward District Judge Sue Mack. Maldonado remains in the Erie County Prison on $75,000 bond.

Erie police accused Maldonado of hitting a now-19-year-old man in the head with a piece of pipe after confronting the victim about $5 Maldonado accused the victim of taking from him in the 400 block of East Seventh Street on the afternoon of Nov. 6.

A relative of the victim testified that the victim had a hole in the side of his head and had blood covering his head and his shirt when he came home. Erie police Detective Craig Stoker testified that the victim suffered bleeding on the brain and a concussion in the assault; and he returned to the hospital days later and was diagnosed as having Bell’s palsy, a type of facial paralysis, which was caused by his injury.

Two people witnessed the assault and described it to investigators, Stoker said. The victim told police that he did not remember getting hit and did not remember anything about the incident, he said.