Franklin man charged with retaliation

A Franklin man is facing multiple charges for assaulting another man Wednesday outside the second man’s place of employment.

Colin Klinger, 19, went to a Liberty Street business in Franklin to confront an employee who supposedly “snitched” in a prior gun theft case, a criminal complaint filed by patrolman Ismael Lopez of the Franklin police department said.

After being told to leave by the store’s management, Klinger remained in the area and yelled at the employee to come outside, the complaint said.

Klinger waited until the man was done with his shift and approached him as he was walking back to the Venango County jail, the complaint said.

The man told Klinger to get away from him, but Klinger continued to harass him, the complaint said.

The two individuals engaged in conversation to the degree that it escalated to a physical altercation and Klinger struck the other man in the head, the complaint said. The assault concluded when the store manager ran outside and chased the group, the complaint said.

Klinger has been charged with one felony count of retaliation against a witness or victim as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking, disorderly conduct and harassment.

He was arraigned before district judge Matthew Kirtland and released on $10,000 unsecured bail.

A preliminary hearing for Klinger has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.