An Arnold woman suffered a concussion and multiple facial injuries when a man repeatedly punched her in the head and choked her, according to authorities.

Nathan Fletcher Clarke, 58, of the 600 block of George Street in New Kensington was charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and strangulation along with counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and harassment.

Police wrote in Clarke’s arrest papers that shortly after 1 a.m. Jan. 29 a woman reported to Arnold police that Clarke had just assaulted her at his apartment.

A New Kensington officer who responded to the woman’s home in Arnold said her face was bruised and swollen; she had two black eyes, swollen bloody lips and bruises on her arms, according to a criminal complaint.

The woman told police she and Clarke were out drinking and began arguing when they returned to his apartment.

She told them she was in bed when Clarke started punching her in the face. He then put both hands around her throat and squeezed until she couldn’t take a breath, the complaint said.

The woman was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrion for treatment of her injuries, which included a concussion.

He is being detained in the Westmoreland County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond. He faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. on March 2, according to court records.

Earlier arrests

On Feb. 3, Clarke was taken into custody by New Kensington police in connection with drug charges filed Jan. 30, according to court records. He was charged with a felony count of possession of drugs with the intent to deliver and counts of possession of drugs and paraphernalia.

A separate bail for those charges was set at $25,000, and a preliminary hearing before Pallone was scheduled for March 2.

In August 2010, Clarke was charged by East Deer police with a felony count of possession of drugs with the intent to deliver. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in December 2011 to six to 12 months in jail and three years of probation, according to court records.

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