From staff reports
An Oil City man is facing charges for assaulting two women and strangling one of them as well as pouring gasoline on two porches of a house Tuesday.
Franklin state police said in a criminal complaint that Antonio Hatcher, 36, entered his residence Tuesday evening and was observed to be “on something” and “acting strange”, according to a woman in the house.
Hatcher then went out and got in his vehicle that was parked in the garage, the complaint said.
Upon hearing the commotion in the garage, a second woman came out and tried to stop Hatcher, the complaint said. The second woman was choked while Hatcher continued to assault the other woman, according to the complaint.
The two women fled the garage and went into the house and were followed by Hatcher, who was stopped in the yard before he reached the front porch by two men, the complaint said. Hatcher and the two men briefly struggled in the front yard before Hatcher tried to enter the residence, but the door was locked, the complaint said.
He continued to try to enter the house until police arrived and took him into custody, the complaint said.
Hatcher has been charged with felony counts of strangulation and risking catastrophe, misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, and two summary counts of harassment.
He was placed in the Venango County jail after being denied bail because he is “a threat to society,” and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Central Court.
