An Emlenton man is in jail for choking and assaulting his wife.
Franklin state police said in a criminal complaint they were called at about 2 a.m. Sunday to the area of Fourth Street and River Avenue in Emlenton where a car was stuck near a utility pole.
Steven Mendez, 34, had taken the vehicle, which belongs to his wife, but he never made it out of the parking lot before driving off some stairs where the vehicle got stuck, the complaint said.
The woman also told police that a week earlier, on Sept. 11, Mendez had taken the woman’s handgun, loaded it in her presence and placed it to her head as he demanded her car keys, according to the complaint.
The woman also said Mendez had choked her on two occasions on the evening of Sept. 11 and slapped her in the face, the complaint said.
The woman showed police two videos of Mendez abusing her, according to the complaint.
While the woman was speaking with police, Mendez called and told her that if she didn’t get home in five minutes he would “treat her,” which the complaint notes is “slang for beat her up,” the complaint said.
Police motioned to her to tell Mendez that she was home and then Mendez came to the apartment, where he had already broken the front door, and police arrested him, the complaint said.
Mendez was charged with felony counts of aggravated assault-attempts to cause serous bodily injury or causes injury with extreme indifference, strangulation and possession of a firearm prohibited as well as misdemeanor counts of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.
He was arraigned and placed in the Venango County jail with bail denied due to him being a flight risk who will not comply with bail conditions, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled Sept. 28 in Central Court.
For more local news, visit TheDerrick.com.
