A Schuylkill County man threatened to slit his girlfriend’s throat Monday, then went home and hit a young child, police say.
Nathan Graham, 28, of Ashland, is charged with 17 offenses, including aggravated assault of a child younger than 6, endangering the welfare of children, and four counts of making terroristic threats.
State Police say they were dispatched shortly before 6 p.m. Monday to a home in the 1700 block of Centre St. in Ashland for a reported domestic incident. The woman had reported that Graham threatened her and her children, and that he was home alone with one of the children.
Police made contact with Graham at the home, and the woman arrived on scene soon afterward.
The woman told police she and Graham had been arguing throughout the day. The argument escalated when Graham came home from work and found out she had been using his computer, she said.
She told police she left to pick up two of her children from the bus stop. While she was picking them up, Graham texted her threats, she said. One message threatened that she was getting beat when she got home. Another read, “I’m really putting your s*** underground.”
The woman told police she and Graham were then on a phone call, and she could hear him in his car driving around looking for her. During that call, Graham threatened to slit her throat and the throats of two others, police say. He also threatened to beat one person and make that person “unrecognizable,” the woman told police.
Graham was on speakerphone when he made the threats, so two others heard them, according to police. He also threatened that if he found the woman, he would ram his vehicle into hers and kill her and the kids, police say.
The woman told police she then heard Graham get back to the house and begin screaming at a child. She said she heard Graham hit the child and then heard the child crying. She then called 9-1-1.
Police say the child had been left home alone while Graham was driving around looking for the woman.
The woman told police she found red marks on the child. When police briefly interviewed the child, she said she had been smacked while watching television in her room and wasn’t doing anything wrong.
Police say the woman was visibly emotional, crying and shaking, while being interviewed.
Graham was arraigned Monday night before Magisterial District Judge Christian Lengel and committed to Schuylkill County Prison after he was unable to post $75,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14 before Judge Edward Tarantelli.
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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