Police: man strangled wife, punched trooper
A man was arrested Sunday on charges he strangled his wife and later punched a trooper in Butler, state police said.
Gordon A. Brown, 47, of Butler faces six charges, two of them felonies. He is free on his own recognizance.
Police said they were called about 2 a.m. for a reported domestic that happened as the defendant was traveling with his wife in a vehicle on Route 8.
Investigators said they spoke to the victim at Washington and Pearl streets. She recounted that Brown punched her several times in the face and choked her as they rode in a sport utility vehicle. He eventually pushed her out of the vehicle and drove away, according to court documents.
A passing motorist picked her up and drove her to the city, police said. She told troopers that her husband likely drove back to their home on West Fulton Street in the city.
Officers found Brown lying on his front porch, documents said.
When Trooper Matthew Stimac attempted to roll over the defendant to see his hands, according to a police affidavit, Brown punched Stimac in the leg. Police said they subsequently had to forcibly arrest the defendant.
District Judge Lewis Stoughton arraigned Brown on felony charges of strangulation and aggravated assault and misdemeanor charges of simple assault and resisting arrest.
He also is charged with a pair of summary offenses, harassment and disorderly conduct.
