A Norwegian Township man is wanted on charges of strangulation, assault, and terroristic threats following an incident earlier this month.
A bench warrant was issued for Thomas Kelly, 39, on another case against him in which he’s facing a first-degree felony burglary charge for an incident in Pottsville back on Oct. 19. He was released on bond in that case.
But on Dec. 1, at around 10 a.m., police were called to a home on New St. in Norwegian Township for a report of an active domestic dispute. When they arrived, a woman told police that Kelly had strangled her. She also said Kelly had fled the area in a red pickup truck before their arrival.
The complainant in this alleged domestic dispute also told police that she believed Kelly was nearby because she heard him yelling her name from the woods. She said the two of them had been fighting that entire morning.
Before getting away, she told police she went into a walk-in closet to pack her bags to leave. That’s when Kelly allegedly blocked the door to the closet, preventing her from leaving. Kelly also reportedly told the woman that he’d kill her if she tried to leave.
At this point, Kelly then grabbed the woman’s hair and then took his hand and placed in around her neck while applying pressure at the same time.
The woman says she was able to get away from that stranglehold and went downstairs. Kelly allegedly chased her and grabed her. Their conflict went from inside the home to out on the deck attached to the home.
Kelly then allegedly grabbed a vase and threw it at the woman, hitting her in the back of the head, which broke the vase. He then reportedly used both of his hands and wrapped them around the woman’s neck. This lasted for about a minute, she said. The woman told police she was struggling to breathe when this all happened and eventually fell to her knees
The fight eventually broke up, with the victim trying to get away from the residence. She told police that Kelly went back in the home and then got in his truck to get away. As he was getting away in his vehicle, Kelly reportedly told the woman that he was going to get someone to kill her
Police say they searched the immediate vicinity of the New St. home and didn’t find Kelly. They say his red pickup truck has a registration of ZVF7876.
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