A 62-year-old New Castle man is behind bars after police say he tried to force a woman to crash her car into a utility pole during a violent confrontation in a Butler Avenue parking lot, then punched and head-butted her when she wouldn't comply. Matthew Green, of West Moody Avenue, now faces simple assault, reckless endangerment, and harassment charges stemming from the Oct. 12 incident.
According to New Castle News, the woman told police she was sitting in her silver Chevrolet Impala when Green pulled up alongside her in a black Hyundai sedan. She said Green reached through her window, pushed her foot down onto the gas pedal, and tried to force her vehicle into a nearby phone pole, all while threatening to kill her.
The confrontation escalated from there, per the police report cited by the outlet. Green allegedly opened the woman's car door, screamed at her, and struck her in the right eye with his finger before head-butting her in the face. Responding officers reportedly documented blood and bruising around one of her eyes along with swelling above her other eye, and she was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Charges Under Pennsylvania Law
Green was arrested Wednesday and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Melissa A. Amodie, who presides over Magisterial District Court 53-1-01 at 430 Court Street in New Castle and handles the majority of preliminary arraignments for the city, according to the Lawrence County Government Center. He was committed to the Lawrence County Jail on a $1,500 bond.
Under Pennsylvania law, simple assault is generally graded as a second-degree misdemeanor carrying up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine, applying whenever someone intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes or attempts bodily harm, per van der Veen, Hartshorn & Levin. The reckless endangerment charge Green faces is also a second-degree misdemeanor with a maximum two-year sentence, and is frequently added in cases involving threats made with motor vehicles, according to Worgul, Sarna & Ness Criminal Defense Attorneys. The harassment count is typically graded as a summary offense punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $300 fine, though it can rise to a third-degree misdemeanor if a Protection From Abuse order was violated, per Margetas Legal.
Pennsylvania law permits officers to make warrantless arrests in domestic violence cases when probable cause points to a recent assault and visible physical injury is present, according to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Officers reportedly documented blood and bruising around one of the woman's eyes along with swelling above her other eye.
Case Heads to Central Court Next
The case will next move to the Lawrence County Central Court at 202 Milton Street in New Castle, which holds preliminary hearings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to advance charges toward the Court of Common Pleas, the Lawrence County Government Center notes. Green was committed to the Lawrence County Jail, a 282-bed facility managed by Warden Michael Mahlmeister that undergoes state inspections at intervals of 12 to 24 months, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
Local victims of domestic abuse can turn to Arise, formerly known as the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County, which operates a 24-hour hotline and emergency shelter beds for up to 36 people out of its West State Street location, per Visit Lawrence County.
It is unknown at this time whether Green has retained legal counsel or whether the woman has sought a Protection From Abuse order. As with all suspects, Green is considered innocent until proven guilty or otherwise adjudicated in court.
The arrest adds to a string of recent violent assault cases that have moved through New Castle's court system this fall. Another recent case saw a New Castle woman committed to the Lawrence County Jail on bond.
