The Red Hill district judge officiating the preliminary hearing for the Upper Hanover man facing two felony counts of attempted murder rejected an argument by his attorney to dismiss one of them. Maureen Coggins ruled Monday afternoon that all charges against Charles Joseph Bowne III, 35, of Morgan Hill Drive, be held over for Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

            Bowne faces 15 criminal counts, including two each of attempted first-degree murder, three aggravated assault charges, and one for assault of a law enforcement officer and robbery, and 11 related misdemeanors from a June 11 incident initiated in Marlborough. Conviction on the felony regarding an officer carries a mandatory prison sentence of between 20 and 40 years, according to prosecutor Kathleen McLaughlin.

            The defendant – who appeared in court wearing a red jail uniform, handcuffs and shackles – is accused of stealing a cell phone and bicycle at gunpoint, shooting at a Marlborough police officer and barricading himself in his car at a construction site in a neighboring county while continuing to shoot at responding officers, according to the police criminal complaint filed June 12.

            Before witness testimony from the alleged victim and two responding officers, McLaughlin – a Montgomery County assistant district attorney and the assistant chief of trials – added four misdemeanor counts at the start of the hearing. Coggins described the prosecution's case as extremely strong.

            The judge dismissed an argument by James Tone – Bowne's court-appointed defense attorney – that one of the attempted murder counts should be dismissed because the victim, riding a bicycle at the intersection of Swamp Creek and Camp roads, testified that none of the shots fired by the defendant were near him. Coggins described it as a "horrible afternoon" for Eric Bliss, 64.

            "After that incident, anyone else could have been killed," the judge said.

            Bliss, who lives outside the county, testified that he was riding through the township after having lunch with friends when he stopped at the intersection to get a drink and check his map. He ignored two honks of a black Ford Mustang and drove past its driver's side north on Camp Road.

            "I figured it was a bike-hating idiot," Bliss said.

            According to his testimony, the driver honked a third time, rolled down his window and gestured with his hands. He yelled forcefully, "Go home to your family," three times.

            Bliss said he drove to the rear of the vehicle and took a picture of the license plate. At that point, the driver told the man on the bike to give him his "mother f***ing phone" and to "go be with your family."

            When Bliss refused, the vehicle began to chase him. As he drove past the car, Bliss claimed to see the driver – described as a white sunglass wearing male between the ages of 30 to 35 with stringy hair and a deep voice – waiving a handgun outside the window. The witness said he got scared.

            According to the witness, when he stopped next to the passenger side, the driver pointed a gun through the window and cocked the hammer. The driver instructed Bliss to drop his bike and turn over his phone.

            "I was scared s***less," Bliss said. "I thought I was going to die. I was hoping it wouldn't hurt too much."

            As he ran up Swamp Creek Road, the victim said he heard Bowne shouting at him and five to six rounds being fired, according to the police criminal complaint filed in the Red Hill court of District Judge Maureen Coggins. Bliss testified that his phone, which he threw on the ground, has not been recovered.

            At 11:57 a.m. on June 11, county radio received a call regarding shots being fired at 1751 Swamp Creek Road. The responding Marlborough officer, Sergeant Ted Baird, testified that he pulled up behind the Mustang parked in a lot for fishermen on Swamp Creek Road.

            As he opened his door, Baird said the Mustang driver began firing at his vehicle. The officer claims he ducked behind the computer console and stayed there for several seconds. He suspects that the rounds came from a handgun.

            Baird followed the Mustang – traveling at a slow rate of speed – on Swamp Creek Road, then left onto Whites Mill Road, across Allentown Road until stopping at a construction site in the 1800 block of Ridge Road in West Rockhill Township at 12:13 p.m. He testified that the pursuit lasted seven minutes and included a wide turn at the Souderton Gun Club, and that the operator continued to shoot at him.

            Patrick Francis and two other Upper Perk police officers responded to Baird's location. Francis testified that while the other officers went to the scene of the original incident, he approached the construction site from the Bucks County side.

            At the scene, Francis testified that he heard gunshots as he approached the site. He said he moved to help clear between 10 and 12 workers hiding behind large equipment within 60 feet of the Mustang.

            Francis said he heard between 10 and 15 shots fired from the vehicle that was constantly moving back and forth in short movements. He testified that the driver was pointing a weapon south and east out of the window and that he saw it fire.

            Bowne, transported to the Marlborough Township Police Department, did not want to talk to Montgomery County detectives.

            A Pennridge Regional police detective claims to have seized three firearms from the defendant's Mustang. They include a Ruger Super Blackhawk, .44 Magnum, a Century Arms VSKA 7.62 x 39 caliber pistol and a Ruger .22 long rifle, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

            Bowne remains in Montgomery County jail. Coggins did not address bail in the case. Springfield Township District Judge Katherine E. McGill denied his bail during a June 12 preliminary arraignment on the grounds that Bowne is a danger to society, according to information provided by law enforcement officials.