PITTSTON — Pittston City police say they arrested Bernard Paul Topa Jr., 38, on allegations he forced his wife and three children from their residence and threatened to harm her on Thursday, according to court records.
Topa Jr., of Mill Street, was arraigned by District Judge James Dixon of Hazle Township on three counts of child endangerment, two counts of simple assault, and one count each of terroristic threats and kidnapping to inflict terror. Topa Jr. was jailed without bail at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility as he was deemed a danger to the victims.
According to the criminal complaint:
Police received information from Lackawanna County that a domestic disturbance occurred at Topa’s residence at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Officers were unable to find anyone at the house as a neighbor told police Topa left with his wife and three children in a vehicle.
Police received additional information at about 10:30 a.m. that Topa, his wife and three children were at a relative’s residence on Wood Street in Scranton.
The wife told police Topa began yelling at her and dragged her by her feet earlier Thursday morning, the complaint alleges.
As she sat on a couch, according to the complaint, she claimed Topa put pressure on her face causing an injury to her mouth, cut her hair with scissors, and used a walking stick to strike her in the arms.
After two children left the house for school, she told police Topa forced her and their other three children into a vehicle and drove to the Back Mountain, before driving to the relative’s house in Scranton, the complaint says.
Topa allegedly told his wife they were going on a vacation and he wanted to kill her, and drive off a bridge.
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