Michael J. Servello, 53, of the 3000 block of Spruce Avenue, is in Blair County Prison in lieu of $400,000 cash bail following his arrest, which took place after he surrendered to police to end a standoff at his house, according to a criminal complaint from Altoona police and Chief Joe Merrill.

Police were dispatched about 1:55 p.m. to the area around Servello’s home after a truck driver reported he had been shot at while operating his truck. When the victim turned from Pine Avenue onto 31st Street, operating a truck with no trailer, the front windshield was struck and glass splintered inside the cab, court documents state.

The victim reported seeing someone run into the back door of Servello’s home, the report states, noting that police are aware that Servello has made threatening statements in the past that shots would be fired at the trucks passing through the area.

When the victim pointed out Servello’s home as the residence to which he saw an individual flee after the shooting, police sought and received a search warrant for the residence and for Servello.

Amy Servello

While compiling the warrant, surveillance units intercepted his wife, Amy Jo Servello, 51, as she exited the home and attempted to leave in a Honda Civic. She was detained by police and said there were guns inside the home but she knew nothing about a shooting.

Police compiled another search warrant for Amy Servello’s person for gunshot residue and her cellphone, the report states.

During the investigation, police said it appeared that if the bullet had gone through the windshield it would have struck the driver in the head. Glass from the windshield caused minor cuts on the victim’s jaw, while a passenger in the truck was unhurt, according to the complaint.

Once Michael Servello was taken into custody, police executed the search warrant and found a .22 caliber long rifle, two handguns and three shotguns, with the rifle and shotguns leaning against an entry wall to the attic, where a window that overlooks 31st Street was open slightly. Police said multiple totes were stacked near the window “that could be used as a firing position,” according to the complaint.

“(T)he defendant could have shot at the victim using the .22 rifle,” the complaint states in the context of its description of the setup.

During the search, police found a significant amount of marijuana, at which time the search was stopped as police sought and received another search warrant of the home that included drugs, drug paraphernalia and money, according to the affidavit.

Using that warrant, police found 1.3 pounds of marijuana in mason jars labeled with names and dates in a way consistent with small marijuana grows, according to the complaint, which notes the street value of the marijuana is about $12,000.

There were also unused zip top bags and a functioning scale with marijuana residue on the weigh plate, according to the complaint. The search also turned up multiple smoking devices and $300.

The complaint notes that Amy Servello has an active medical marijuana card. She told police the marijuana found in the home is old and they intended to throw it out, however police said the new packaging material and cash contradicts her statement.

Officers also noted Michael Servello had several surveillance cameras, some of which recorded trucks on the road outside his home. He used that video to make Facebook posts, the affidavit states.

During an interview with police, Servello claimed he didn’t know what the investigation was about and said he didn’t shoot a gun since the first week of November. He did admit frustration with the trucks and with the city council’s lack of action, the report states.

Although he claimed not to know police were at the house after his arrest, a review of surveillance videos from the house showed that he had been monitoring the police presence for about 20 minutes before surrendering, according to the complaint.

Both Servellos were arraigned Wednesday morning before Magisterial District Judge Andrew L. Blattenberger, and preliminary hearings for both are scheduled for Dec. 30.

In addition to attempted homicide, Michael Servello faces felony charges of aggravated assault, risking a catastrophe, possession with intent to deliver and dealing in unlawful activities along with misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, propel missile into occupied vehicle, disorderly conduct, possession of a control substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Amy Servello faces felony counts of possession with intent to deliver and dealing in unlawful activities, along with misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Her bail was set at $50,000 and she was remanded to the Blair County Prison.

Jake brake rules

The truck driver in this case had been named — along with others — by Michael Servello in a notarized “affidavit” he presented to City Council in November, during a meeting at which he accused council of “protecting” trucking firms whose drivers used jake brakes, and during which he lambasted council for lifting a prohibition this year on jake brakes in his neighborhood, according to Mirror reports on the meeting.

Council imposed the jake brake ban for Toytown in 2021 in response to resident complaints, but rescinded the ban in July because police lack the manpower to enforce it, because banning a vehicle safety device might not comport with legal guidelines and because the ban could potentially create liability for the city, according to a council member at the time.

At the City Council meeting in November, Servello displayed a video on his phone that showed him thrashing as if in a seizure for two minutes or so in his house — an event he said was triggered by hearing a truck’s jake brakes. The affidavit states Servello has said the sound of truckers using jake brakes causes him to have PTSD-triggered panic attacks.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.