An Oil City man has been charged with felony aggravated assault after being accused of injuring a pregnant woman last week.
A criminal complaint filed through District Judge Patrick Lowrey’s office in Seneca said a woman came into the Oil City police station just before 5 p.m. Saturday claiming she had been assaulted by 41-year-old Christopher Burneisen earlier in the week at 345 Emerald St. in Oil City.
According to the complaint, the woman told police that Burneisen, who was aware she was pregnant, kicked her in the face, stomach and pelvic areas inside a vehicle after returning home from a grocery store where they had engaged in an argument.
After moving inside the residence, the complaint said, Burneisen began yelling at the woman and elbowed her in the facial area, choked and scratched her neck and kicked her in the stomach area again.
The woman told police Burneisen then drove her to meet her father and dropped her off in Grove City.
The woman’s father picked her up and took her to a woman’s hospital for treatment of her injuries and to check on the welfare of the fetus, according to the complaint.
After initially making contact with Oil City police on Thursday evening and Friday to report an assault, the woman was advised to file a formal report when she was able to go to the police station, according to the complaint.
While filing the complaint, a police officer saw scratches around the woman’s neck, swelling above her left eye, bruising near her right eye and multiple cuts on her right hand, the complaint said.
Burneisen was arraigned Monday by Lowrey on charges including one felony count of aggravated assault, one misdemeanor count of simple assault and one misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person.
Burneisen was placed in the Venango County jail after failing to post $75,000 bail.
A preliminary hearing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Aug. 24 in Central Court.
