A 47-year-old woman was arrested at the Westmoreland County Courthouse Wednesday on charges of assaulting and choking a woman who was to testify against her in a custody dispute, according to court documents.
Rhonda L. Cathers, 47, of Daisytown, Washington County, was arrested by county park police in the courthouse in Greensburg on charges of intimidation of a witness, simple assault and strangulation. She was arraigned before District Judge Chris Flanigan and released after posting $1,000 bond.
Officer Robert Hebenthal said county sheriff’s deputies had to separate the women in the second floor rotunda of the courthouse after Cathers was seen assaulting the victim.
Hebenthal reported the woman, who is related to Cathers, said “Cathers came over to her, grabbed her by the throat and that she could not breathe.”
“Red … abrasions were around her neck,” Hebenthal said in court documents.
Sheriff’s Deputy John Dixon said the woman did not require medical treatment.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled Aug. 27.
