Man Faces Charges in Shooting Incident in Dauphin County

            Law enforcement descended on Jackson Street in Pennsburg late last week to arrest a man accused of firing several shots at an ex-girlfriend. Following a standoff, the state police took Dino Ray Manero Jr., 38, of Jackson Street, into custody around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, March 5.

            The sequence of events began at 11:45 p.m. on March 4, when Derry Township Police, Dauphin County, responded to a residence for a report of shots fired.

            A female victim told Derry police that Manero followed her home from her place of work and pointed a gun at her head through a crack in the window of her car. As she sped away, he fired at least five shots at the vehicle, according to the police criminal complaint filed in the Hummelstown Court of District Judge Dominic A. Pelino.

            The victim had a bullet hole in her coat. An examination of the victim's car at the Hershey Medical Center identified bullet holes in the driver door, passenger door, rear-side quarter panel, and rear window, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

            At 1:30 a.m., the state police received "be on the lookout" information on Manero in regards to the shooting in Derry Township. Around 4 a.m., Quakertown police initiated a traffic stop of his car. However, the vehicle fled. Members of the same department pursued the vehicle to the residence in Pennsburg where he exited the vehicle and ran into the house, according to information provided by Trooper Loretta J. Miree, the community service officer at the state police's Skippack barracks.

            Manero initially refused to come out of the house. A shelter in place order was sent out to surrounding residents, according to law enforcement officials.

            After multiple attempts to convince him to leave the home, authorities called in a Special Emergency Response Team when they learned the suspect was holding   a shotgun. A trooper at the scene eventually convinced him to exit the residence peacefully, according to Miree.

            Officers from Pennsburg, Marlborough, Franconia and the Pennridge Regional Department responded to the scene and set up a perimeter, according to Miree.  Fire police from Pennsburg, East Greenville, Red Hill, and Green Lane also responded to help with traffic control.

            Manero faces felony charges of attempted criminal homicide, receiving stolen property, aggravated assault, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, as well as misdemeanor stalking and related charges, from the incident in Dauphin County.

            During a March 5 preliminary arraignment, Judge Dominic Pelino denied the defendant bail. Reasons for the ruling included Manero's violation of a protection from abuse order and his designation as a danger to the community. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on March 16, according to information posted on a state judicial website.

            This is not Manero's first brush with the law. Pennridge Regional police arrested him following a Nov. 30, 2019 incident in West Rockhill Township. He was initially charged with felony aggravated assault and two misdemeanor simple assault charges, among other charges.

            Prosecutors withdrew the aggravated assault charge and a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge during a June 22, 2020 preliminary hearing before Richland Township District Judge Lisa Gaier.

            Four months later, Manero pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor simple assault charge in Bucks County Common Pleas Court. He was sentenced to two years of probation.