A Salisbury Township man will spend between 3½ to 13 years in state prison for punching and using a Taser on a 68-year-old woman at her home while she was babysitting her granddaughter.
Benjamin Andrew Brinker, 35, pleaded guilty earlier this month to aggravated assault, using an incapacitation device and lying on a firearms purchase form in connection with the Aug. 19, 2025, attack.
Lancaster County Judge Dennis Reinaker also ordered Brinker to undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with any recommended treatment under terms of a plea agreement between the prosecution and defense attorneys.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, Brinker dressed in all black and wore a medical mask and sunglasses when he went to the woman’s Paradise Township home and knocked on the door.
The woman told police she did not recognize Brinker when she answered. She said when she tried to close the door, Brinker shocked her with a Taser in her chest and knocked her down, then punched her in the face before running away, dropping the Taser.
Erik Yabor, a spokesperson for the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office, said Tuesday that Brinker’s motive was unclear.
Police asked the public for help identifying the attacker. A manager with Brightbill Transportation, which specializes in school transport, shared a video of a man matching their description of the attacker walking to a white 2014 Toyota Corolla near the woman’s house.
Axon, the Taser manufacturer, ran the serial number of the Taser Brinker left and found he bought it Jan. 10, 2025, and bought 10 cartridges shortly before the attack.
Police also matched Brinker’s car and driving route to surveillance footage from the attack.
![Police identify man accused of punching, attacking 68-year-old woman with Taser in Paradise Twp. [update]](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8Xw8AAoMBgDTD2qgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)
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