Convicted murderer Patrick Russin arraigned on ethnic intimidation, assault charges

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DALLAS TWP. — A Back Mountain man who admitted to his role in the shotgun slayings of two men in May 2003, was arraigned Monday on allegations he initiated a struggle with Dallas Township police officers and damaged a garage door in April.

Patrick Raymond Russin, 54, of North Pioneer Avenue, was detained by Dallas Township police on an arrest warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on April 11, according to court records.

When Russin was informed of the federal warrant, he swung his body resulting in two township police officers being slammed against walls and a water cooler, court records say.

Russin then allegedly kicked and damaged rail tracks to a garage door at the township police department.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Scranton on April 14 announced Russin was among four men indicted by a federal grand jury on April 9 on drug trafficking and firearm offenses.

Court records say Russin showed up at the township police department to pick up personal items due to an incident on April 11. When advised about the federal arrest warrant, Russin resisted officers and yelled ethnic slurs at one of the officers, court records say.

An officer suffered a laceration on his hand during the struggle with Russin.

Russin was arraigned by District Judge Brian Tupper of Kingston Township on charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, institutional vandalism and ethnic intimidation. Russin’s bail was set at $25,000 as he remains in custody on the federal arrest warrant.

Russin pled guilty to two counts of third-degree murder in the shotgun killings of Frank James and Adeiye Keiler at a Mount Olivet Road, Kingston Township, residence where he lived with Hugo Marcus Selenski in May 2003, court records say.

A jury acquitted Selenski on one count of criminal homicide and a mistrial was declared on a second count of criminal homicide following a Luzerne County jury trial in 2006 when Russin testified about the shotgun slayings.

Russin served a decade in prison for the killings.