Bartender charged in VFW beating surrenders to police

By Jennifer Borrasso

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    ALIQUIPPA, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A Beaver County bartender has turned herself in to police on charges connected to a vicious attack at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Lodge in Aliquippa last month.

According to police, Ireland Brown didn’t lay a finger on the victim in that attack but she did help the main suspect get away.

Brett Ours is accused of beating Preston Coleman nearly to death and Ireland Brown’s father, Ronald, is also accused of joining in on the attack.

District Attorney Nate Bible said that he is still investigating the incident and is leaving the door open to pursue a hate crime in this case.

However, Brown is now being housed at the Beaver County Jail.

“She’s culpable because when we got there we asked her what happened and she lied to us initially and she told us she didn’t know who did it and she didn’t see anything,” said Aliquippa Police Department Detective David Mosura. “She called her dad, she knew these people. I don’t know [why she didn’t call 911], I wish she had, maybe there would have been a different circumstance.”

Court documents show that surveillance video revealed Ireland watched as Ours brutally punched, kicked, and strangled Coleman for 30 minutes. It’s unclear what the argument was about, but police said Brown originally told them she was in the bathroom and didn’t see the attack. She also denied knowing Ours or his girlfriend who was with him at the time of the attack.

Brown later admitted that Ours is a close family friend who she refers to as uncle and she didn’t call 911 until after Ours got away.

The video also shows Brown on her cell phone, and police said she texted her dad Ronald Brown saying, “This dude can’t stand up/I think this dude’s gonna die/Brett won’t stop beating him/He’s gurgling, covered in blood/he’s going to stab him.”

Brown’s dad arrived at the bar and police said he participated in the beating of the victim. After that, according to court documents, Brown gave her dad a wash rag that he and Ours used to wipe away crucial blood evidence.

Police were able to catch Ours who had been on the run for weeks and her dad turned himself in.

Meanwhile, Coleman remains in the hospital.

“He still has a long road, he’s hanging in there, he’s a strong man, and I’m sure he will pull through,” said Detective Mosura.

Attorney Todd Hollis is representing Coleman and he has filed a civil lawsuit against the Veterans Home Association of Aliquippa.

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