Montgomery man pleads no contest in Union County game officer assault case

Michael James Bartholomew, 30, of Sherwood Drive in Montgomery, pleaded no contest Friday to one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest in Union County Court, a deal that would reduce a case that began nearly two years ago on State Game Lands 252 near Allenwood. If Union County Judge Michael Piecuch accepts the agreement, Bartholomew would receive a 12-month probationary sentence and the remaining charges, including two felony counts of aggravated assault, would be dismissed. No sentencing date had been scheduled.

A no-contest plea does not amount to an admission of guilt, but it does mean Bartholomew acknowledged there was enough evidence for a jury to convict him. That distinction matters in a case built around allegations that put two Pennsylvania Game Commission officers at risk during an encounter on public game lands used by hunters, trappers and other visitors.

The Game Commission said the confrontation happened July 9, 2024, when two game wardens approached Bartholomew on State Game Lands 252 near the lost village of Alvira, along Alvira Road. Investigators said he allegedly tried to pull a pellet gun from his pants, punched one warden in the face and then tried to strike the second warden in the groin. Troopers and game officials treated the encounter as a serious officer-safety incident from the start because it involved an armed individual and physical contact with enforcement officers.

State Game Lands 252 spans two separate tracts totaling 3,014 acres in Brady Township, Lycoming County, and Washington and Gregg townships in Union County. The Pennsylvania Game Commission says the state game lands system is managed primarily for wildlife habitat and lawful hunting and trapping, with secondary recreation allowed under commission regulations. The agency also manages more than 1.5 million acres of state game lands across Pennsylvania.

The setting helps explain why the case drew attention in Union County. SGL 252 is not a private backwoods property; it is a known public access area that has also been used for commission driving tours, including a scheduled Oct. 26 tour that began at the Habitat Crew Building at 2495 Alvira Road in Allenwood. In that setting, the plea narrows a felony assault case to a misdemeanor probation term, while leaving intact the broader message that confrontations with game wardens on public lands can quickly become criminal cases with serious consequences.