A 62-year-old Guilford Township man is locked up in Franklin County Jail after failing to post $250,000 bail on charges that include felony strangulation and aggravated indecent assault stemming from a domestic incident early Monday morning. John Mark Brawner allegedly choked, hit, and sexually assaulted a victim during a night of escalating violence that began with a verbal fight around 9:30 p.m. Sunday and ended with Pennsylvania State Police being called to a home on Newcomer Road shortly before midnight.
According to charging documents cited by Tri-State Alert, Brawner is facing felony strangulation, felony aggravated indecent assault without consent, misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor unlawful restraint, misdemeanor false imprisonment, two misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, and a citation for harassment. Per the police report, the victim told investigators Brawner had been drinking before the confrontation turned physical.
Investigators say Brawner pushed the victim to the ground and hit the victim while they were down, then choked them and tore their clothing during the altercation, according to the police report. He is also accused of destroying the victim's clothing and taking the victim's phone in an alleged attempt to prevent them from calling 911.
Threats Targeted a Family Member With Disabilities
Court filings state that Brawner threatened to kill a family member of the victim who has significant intellectual disabilities, according to police, if the victim tried to leave. Per the police report, he separately threatened to kill the victim if law enforcement was contacted, and also threatened to set the house on fire. The victim alleged the assault included a sexual assault, per the police report.
Brawner remains incarcerated in Franklin County Jail after failing to post the $250,000 bail set in the case, which is being tracked under incident number PA 2026-1072861 and docket number MJ-39307-CR-0000205-2026. Under Pennsylvania law, domestic violence arrests like this one allow officers to make warrantless arrests based on probable cause, and require the issuing authority to weigh whether a defendant poses a danger to the victim when setting bail, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
What the Charges Carry
The felony strangulation charge against Brawner is classified under state law as a second-degree felony that can bring up to 10 years in prison when committed against a household or family member, even without visible injury, according to DiCindio Law. Pennsylvania lawmakers created strangulation as its own standalone offense under a 2016 law specifically to increase penalties in domestic disputes.
The aggravated indecent assault charge is likewise graded as a second-degree felony carrying up to 10 years, though it can escalate to a first-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years depending on aggravating factors under the statute, per Frank Walker Law. Pennsylvania law requires proof of nonconsensual penetration to sustain a conviction on that charge. The terroristic threats counts against Brawner each carry up to five years in prison as a first-degree misdemeanor, or up to seven years if graded as a felony, according to legal guidance published by Assault Lawyers for Bucks and Montgomery County, which also notes that a conviction can permanently bar a defendant from owning firearms.
Domestic Strangulation Seen as a Warning Sign
Domestic violence experts and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence consider non-fatal strangulation during an intimate partner altercation one of the strongest predictors of future lethality in these cases, which helps explain why police and prosecutors pursue the charge aggressively. Statewide, more than 1,500 people have died in domestic violence-related incidents over a 10-year tracking period, according to fatality data compiled by the coalition.
Pennsylvania criminal law has no single standalone “domestic violence” charge; instead, prosecutors file underlying offenses such as assault, strangulation, and terroristic threats under specific Crimes Code sections, with the domestic classification triggered by the relationship between the defendant and victim. That classification also brings procedural requirements, including mandatory preliminary arraignments and specialized bail reviews.
Court Proceedings and Victim Resources
Brawner's case falls under the jurisdiction of Magisterial District Court 39-3-07, presided over by Magisterial District Judge Kelly L. Rock from her office on Lincoln Way East in Chambersburg, according to the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. A preliminary hearing before Judge Rock will determine whether prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence to send the charges to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.
Domestic violence victims in Franklin County have access to civil legal protections separate from the criminal case, including Protection From Abuse orders that can be filed through the county Prothonotary's Office or, outside regular courthouse hours, requested on an emergency basis from local Magisterial District Judges, per Franklin County Government. Those orders can legally bar an abuser from a shared residence and prohibit contact with the victim.
Chambersburg-based Women In Need, Inc., known as WIN Victim Services, has operated since 1976 and provides 24-hour crisis intervention, emergency shelter, and legal advocacy to roughly 1,500 domestic and sexual violence victims annually across Franklin and Fulton counties, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The agency began as a volunteer rape crisis center before expanding into the comprehensive victim services organization it operates as today from Progress Road in Chambersburg. Brawner has not entered a plea, and the allegations against him remain unproven in court.
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