FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — A Franklin man who choked and shoved a woman during a domestic dispute is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

According to court documents, 22-year-old Braiden William Warner, of Franklin, will be sentenced by Venango County President Judge Oliver J. Lobaugh on October 29 at 9:00 a.m.

Warner pleaded guilty on August 23 to one second-degree felony count of Strangulation Applying Pressure to Throat or Neck.

As a result of the plea agreement, the following charges were dismissed:

– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2 (two counts)

Details of the case:

According to a criminal complaint, around 1:35 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, Lieutenant Gindhart, of the Franklin Police Department, was dispatched by Venango County 9-1-1 to a residence on the 1300 block of Otter Street in Franklin for a report of an assault in progress. The female caller had hung up during the 9-1-1 call.

Officers responded to the scene around 1:36 a.m. Upon arrival, the officers met a female witness exiting the residence holding an infant, the child of the female victim. Officers could hear yelling coming from an upstairs bedroom of the residence.

The complaint states that Braiden Warner attempted to shut the door of the bedroom while the female victim was still inside with him and attempted to shut the door on the officers as they approached. This resulted in officers kicking the door open and taking Warner into physical custody.

During the follow-up investigation, the female victim and two witnesses told police that the incident escalated stemming from a prior incident when officers were called to the residence.

The victim and witnesses told police Warner was screaming at the victim, closing in on her as close as an inch from her face and drawing his arm back as if he were going to punch her. Then, he allegedly shoved her into a wall and onto the floor as she was attempting to gather clothes to stay in another room of the residence to de-escalate the situation. The victim said she then ran away from Warner, yelling for him to leave her alone, and going upstairs to the bedroom where her infant was asleep on a bed, the complaint states.

The victim told police she had lain down beside the infant while Warner continued to yell, then Warner came at her, putting his hand on her neck and applying pressure until it impeded her airway. The victim was trying to hold the infant from falling off the bed as she was being choked, and a male witness finally pulled Warner off of the victim, the complaint indicates.

Lieutenant Gindhart noted there was visible redness on the victim’s neck area.

Warner was arraigned on Wednesday, April 18, in Magisterial District Judge Matthew T. Kirtland’s office.