A Worth Township man remains jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail after state police said he attacked a former girlfriend near a South Main Street business.
Harold E. McGhee, 55, is accused of strangling the victim and slamming the back of her head against a wooden post around 11:50 p.m. Sunday outside North Country Brewing Co.
District Judge Lewis Stoughton arraigned McGhee on a felony charge of strangulation, and lesser charges of simple assault and harassment. Along with bail, Stoughton ordered the defendant to have no contact with the victim.
The 37-year woman, who lives in Volant, Lawrence County, told police she was leaving the brewery when she saw McGhee, who she described as an ex-boyfriend, according to charging documents.
She said he allegedly came running toward her and screamed at her. He grabbed her by the neck, she recounted, and struck her head on the wooden post on the rampway at the entrance of the business, police said.
The victim alleged that McGhee put his hands around her throat and strangled her to the point that she believed she passed out. Police noted she had red marks around her throat and chest area, and a large bump on the back of her head.
Troopers later found McGhee at his home, where he was arrested. He faces a preliminary hearing Wednesday at the office of District Judge Bill O’Donnell in Slippery Rock.
