A Schuylkill County man is wanted on a felony strangulation charge after police say he choked a woman in her Pottsville apartment until she grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him in the back.
Damion Nicholson, 26, of Minersville, is charged with strangulation, simple assault and harassment. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Police were dispatched to the 600 block of John O’Hara St. for a reported domestic in progress shortly before 10 p.m. on Sept. 5. When officers arrived, they found a woman screaming.
Officers say they saw fresh redness and scratches on the woman’s arms, chest, and neck, along with fresh scratches on the back of her neck, one of which was bleeding.
The woman told police Nicholson was at her apartment with friends while she was cooking dinner.
As Nicholson and his friends were getting ready to leave, the woman offered a bowl of food to a child who was with one of Nicholson’s friends, police say. She told police Nicholson became irate and smacked the bowl out of her hand.
Nicholson then grabbed her by the throat and forced her backward against the kitchen counter, the woman told police. She said it was difficult to breathe while his hands were around her throat. Asked whether she felt she might lose consciousness, she replied, “It was getting there.”
The woman told police that while Nicholson was choking her, she reached for the knife block on the counter with her left hand, grabbed a knife and stabbed him in the back, which stopped the attack.
Once Nicholson let go, she grabbed her phone and told him she was calling police, according to police. She said Nicholson began apologizing, then fled the home with his friends in a white pickup truck as she made the call.
Investigators found food scattered across the kitchen floor and a black-handled kitchen knife along the wall just outside the kitchen, behind a small piece of furniture, police say.
Schuylkill County Crisis & Support Resources
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse or sexual violence, free, confidential, and inclusive help is available 24/7 in Schuylkill County.
- Schuylkill Hope Center (Domestic Violence): Call the 24/7 hotline at (570) 622-6220, text HOPELINE to 20121, or visit schopecenter.org. Services include emergency shelter, housing assistance, counseling, and legal representation.
- SARCC (Sexual Assault): Call the 24/7 hotline at (570) 628-2965 or visit sarccheals.org for counseling, advocacy, and healing support for survivors of sexual violence.
- Outside Schuylkill County: Residents across Pennsylvania can find their local domestic violence program at pcadv.org. You can also visit domesticshelters.org to find resources near you.
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