A 31-year-old Dunmore man punched a woman and struck her with a hammer Sunday night, police said.
Officers responded to 207 Helen St. in the borough around 8:36 p.m. for a report of a domestic disturbance after the caller informed county dispatchers that his sister, Felicia Petrillo, had been assaulted with a hammer and that the offender may have fled on foot, according to a criminal complaint.
Upon arrival, officers met with Petrillo and her 6-year-old child, police said. Petrillo — who was complaining of pain in her face, back, and head — initially declined medical attention but was persuaded by officers to be evaluated for a large lump on the back of her head, officers said.
Petrillo told borough police Capt. Richard Barth that she and her boyfriend, Jeffrey Thomas, had taken a break for a few weeks and recently got back together.
Petrillo informed police that Thomas didn’t initially react poorly after learning she was still talking to another man, but added he later started sending her threatening text messages — including “I hope you know death is imminent” — after consuming a few alcoholic beverages at a local bar, according to the criminal complaint.
When Thomas returned home, he and Petrillo started arguing again and he continued to threaten her, police said.
Thomas became enraged after Petrillo started packing clothes and told him she was going to stay at her mom’s house with their daughter, officers said.
He threw Petrillo onto the floor before getting on top of her and punching her with a closed fist multiple times in the face, head and back, police said.
Then, when Petrillo grabbed her phone to call police, Thomas took it from her hand, threw her onto the bed and wrapped his hands around her neck, according to the criminal complaint.
Thomas later grabbed a hammer and began swinging it at Petrillo, striking her several times in the back of the head and her back, police said.
When Petrillo saw their daughter try to get between them, she grabbed the claw of the hammer and ripped it away from Thomas, officers said.
Once Thomas heard police were on the way, he grabbed Petrillo’s phone and ran out the door, according to the criminal complaint. She tracked the phone to Smith Street, where officers found it in the front yard of a residence.
Detective Eugene Mentz photographed injuries to Petrillo’s face, arms and head, officers said. He also observed bruises on the juvenile’s hands.
Medical personnel at Geisinger Community Medical Center also observed injuries to Petrillo’s back, but no severe internal injures were discovered through an X-ray and CT scan, according to the criminal complaint.
Thomas admitted tackling Petrillo to the ground and continuing to fight in the bedroom but denied using a hammer, police said.
Police charged Thomas with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, endangering the welfare of children, two counts of simple assault, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and two counts of harassment. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 22 at 10:45 a.m.