Shippensburg man denied bail after assault at Chambersburg Hospital, police say

A Shippensburg man was denied bail and put in Franklin County Jail Tuesday after he allegedly assaulted a hospital security guard. 

James Stine, 34, is charged with second-degree aggravated assault and second-degree simple assault, according to court records. 

According to court documents, a Chambersburg police officer responded to Chambersburg Hospital at about 5:45 p.m. Monday and encountered multiple members of the security team and nurses. 

A security guard told him that he had been monitoring Stine, a patient, in his room. Stine got up and began walking around the room, and the guard said he asked him to sit back down. Stine got angry at the guard and said "I don't like how you're looking at me," then punched the guard in his jaw, according to court documents. 

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The guard restrained Stine before the defendant could get in any more hits. 

The guard told police that Stine had been at the hospital for about five hours by the time the officer arrived. Stine had "voluntarily requested to be brought into the hospital," documents state. 

Police did not share the circumstances of Stine's hospital's stay, including why a guard was watching him. 

Court records show he has a brief criminal history in Pennsylvania, with his most recent previous case being a DUI in 2016. 

At his arraignment Tuesday morning, Magisterial District Judge Glenn Manns denied Stine bail, saying there is "no means to assure the safety of the public or the defendant," according to court records. 

Stine's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. March 3 in Franklin County Central Court. 

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.