Duquesne man charged with violating protection-from-abuse order in Irwin

A Duquesne man is behind bars after police said he twice in as many days went to an Irwin apartment from which he is prohibited through a protection-from-abuse order.

On one of the occasions, Gerald Martel Brown, 23, is accused of following a woman out of the apartment to her vehicle, breaking part of the door handle off and threatening to break the window with a rock, according to court papers.

He is facing two contempt actions related to the protection-from-abuse order and criminal charges of burglary, trespass, simple assault and related offenses.

The first time borough police said Brown violated the order was at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday when he broke into the apartment and fled in a red Cadillac. He is accused of again violating the order at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Police said they spotted him in a hallway at the apartment building.

During the Tuesday incident, a woman inside told police as she left the apartment, Brown grabbed her by the arm but she was able to get away, according to court papers. She locked herself inside her vehicle and Brown eventually left after breaking the door handle and threatening to use the rock, police said.

Brown was denied bail. He is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for June 27.