Former Dunnstable Landlord Sentenced to State Prison

LOCK HAVEN- William Sean Laubscher, 55, of Dunnstable Township, was sentenced in Clinton County Court on Tuesday morning.  Laubscher, along with his wife Candy, were prosecuted by District Attorney Dave Strouse and convicted by a jury in June of 2023, on charges of terroristic threats, simple assault and firearms charges.  The Laubschers kicked the door in on a rental home that they owned in September of 2022 in the apparent attempt to evict their tenants.  But instead, they brandished several firearms at one of the tenant’s guests, a 19 year-old woman, who was sleeping inside the residence.  The Laubschers then fired several shots near the front door area of the residence in the apparent effort to scare the woman away.  At trial, Strouse showed the jury the collection of weapons the Laubschers used to scare the young woman, including a semi-automatic rifle with an affixed bayonet and two large-capacity magazines, two hand guns, and several throwing knives.

After they were convicted, the Laubschers remained on bail pending sentencing after claiming they needed to make arrangements for their pets which included a dog with major medical issues.  Later, on the date of their scheduled sentencing, the pair did not appear for Court.  They apparently fled Pennsylvania before their July sentencing and were apprehended in the state of North Carolina on July 21st.  But before the pair could be brought back to Clinton County, the Laubschers then contested extradition in North Carolina, taking the better part of two months, and requiring Clinton County DA Dave Strouse to enlist the help of both Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Governor Roy Cooper in North Carolina.

Both were then scheduled for sentencing in Clinton County on Halloween this past fall, but only Candy was sentenced at that time.  William Laubscher claimed his attorney was ineffective and sought the appointment of new counsel.  As a result, his sentencing was then continued on multiple occasions, for several months, while his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel were heard, and ultimately dismissed, by the Court. On Tuesday, Judge Michael F. Salisbury imposed a 20-84 month sentence upon William Laubscher on charges of Terroristic Threats, Simple Assault and one count of Default in Required Appearance (for his flight from Pennsylvania while on bail).  Prior to imposing sentence, Salisbury told Laubscher that he had shown no remorse at any stage of the proceeding, “including today,” calling Laubscher, “absolutely defiant.”  Laubscher refused to cooperate with pre-sentence investigative requests by Clinton County Adult Probation.  Salisbury said that Laubscher still continues to try to portray himself as a “victim of the court system,” but pointed out that the real victim was a young 19 year-old girl who he confronted and terrified with a gun.  “You continue to blame everyone but yourself,” Judge Salisbury said, and pointed out that Laubscher had earned himself an increased sentence through his defiance, and flight to avoid punishment. Candy Laubscher was previously sentenced by Judge Salisbury to a maximum of 144 months, with parole eligibility after 26.   Candy was convicted and sentenced to the same charges as her husband, but also was found guilty of unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm.  She has since filed an appeal with the PA Superior Court alleging that Salisbury’s sentence was “manifestly unreasonable.” For more information about the Laubschers’ saga, a prior release is here: https://clinton.crimewatchpa.com/da/133000/post/latest-development-dunns…

Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: https://clinton.crimewatchpa.com/da/133000/post/former-dunnstable-landlord-sentenced-state-prison