A Pottsville man is accused of breaking into a Saint Clair woman’s home, strangling and punching her and beating her with a stick.
According to a criminal complaint filed by police in Saint Clair, the incident happened on Sept. 9 at a home on Cherry St. in the borough.
A woman tells police that Buddy Noel, a 45-year-old Pottsville man, broke into her home through sliding glass doors.
The woman says she told Noel to leave her home numerous times and threatened to call the police.
Noel responded by allegedly placing the woman in a choke hold and then threw her on the kitchen floor. The victim says Noel then grabbed a stick that the woman used to lock the sliding glass doors and placed it on her neck to hold her down on the floor.
She says she felt as if she was going to pass out or die and that this part of the attack lasted for about 30 seconds.
Police noted visible marks on the victim’s neck.
Noel then allegedly punched the woman in the head about 3-5 times with a closed fist. He also allegedly hit her on the elbow with the stick that had been placed on her neck.
Police saw a hematoma on the victim’s forehead and a contusion on her left arm.
The attack then went outside the home. Noel allegedly tried to steal the woman’s phone and pushed her to the ground. He then threw the stick into bushes on a neighboring property.
Neighbors allegedly witnessed this attack, the victim said.
Noel was arraigned before District Magistrate David Rossi on Sept. 11 and a Preliminary Hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8 before District Magistrate David Plachko.
Rossi sent Noel to Schuylkill County Prison on $50,000 cash bail.
He is facing first-degree felony charges of aggravated assault and burglary and misdemeanor charges of strangulation and simple assault as well as a summary harassment charge.
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