A Palmerton man has been charged with assaulting another man and hitting his vehicle with a sledgehammer.

According to court papers filed by the Palmerton Borough Police Department in the case against John Reppert, 31:

At 6:06 a.m. Feb. 17, a man came to the police station with a swollen face and bleeding lip. The victim told police that he went to the rear of a home in the 400 block of Lehigh Avenue to speak with his ex-girlfriend, and Reppert came out and hit the passenger side door of his truck with a sledgehammer. He said that Reppert then hit his windshield and passenger side window with the sledgehammer, shattering them.

Reppert hit him in the face with the sledgehammer, he said.

The victim went to St. Luke’s Lehighton Campus for evaluation of his injuries.

Reppert told police that the victim was shown on security cameras backing into his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle and said the victim tried to strike him with his vehicle. He admitted hitting the victim’s vehicle with the sledgehammer.

Reppert said he told the victim to leave and the victim again tried to strike him with his vehicle so he threw the sledgehammer at the vehicle.

Reppert was asked to send a copy of his security footage to the police department, which he did, but the footage did not show Reppert, only the victim backing into the ex-girlfriend’s vehicle.

At 9:20 p.m., March 2, police served search warrants for video. Police said it was clear that the victim did not try to strike Reppert with his vehicle. Video showed Reppert hitting the vehicle three times and then throwing the sledgehammer through the passenger side window.

The cost to repair the damages to the vehicle was $340.

Reppert faces charges of aggravated assault, propulsion of missiles into occupied vehicle or onto roadway, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, unsworn falsification to authorities, harassment by physical contact, and criminal mischief.

He is currently free in lieu of $10,000 unsecured bail, and is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing May 12 before District Judge William J. Kissner of Palmerton.