Hempfield man accused of choking, cutting woman during argument over rent
Dec. 6—State police arrested a 59-year-old Hempfield man after a woman said he cut her stomach with a knife and punched and choked her during an argument, according to court documents.
Franz N. Wade of Fitzpatrick Road in Grapeville is accused of assaulting and threatening the woman multiple times Friday during an altercation regarding rent, according to state police.
The woman claimed that after Wade choked and threw her to the floor, she grabbed a small knife from the kitchen to protect herself. She told Wade that if he struck her again, she intended to stab him, according to court papers filed by Trooper Adam Derco.
"The (woman) related that Wade grabbed her hand and turned her hand around so the blade of the knife was facing her," Derco wrote.
She also told Derco that Wade said, "Oh, you're going to stab me (expletive)? I'll kill you."
Wade pushed the knife towards her, cutting her in the stomach and causing her to fall on the floor, the woman told police. She used her phone to post a message on social media, asking friends to contact police.
When state police arrived about 5:05 p.m., troopers said that the woman had swelling and bruising on the side of her face, a red mark across the bridge of her nose, red marks across her neck and "a half-inch puncture wound on her stomach."
Police seized a knife from a dish rack in the kitchen.
Wade denied assaulting the woman and claimed her injuries were self-inflicted. He showed troopers a cell phone video he took during the incident.
"I did not observe any video where (the woman) was injuring herself. Small scratch marks were observed on Wade's lower arms that were consistent with (the woman) saying she was trying to get Wade off of her," Derco wrote.
Wade was taken into custody and arraigned on charges of aggravated assault causing bodily injury, harassment, simple assault, strangulation and terroristic threats. He is being held in the county jail on $25,000 bond.
According to online dockets, Wade, a former New Kensington resident, pleaded guilty in 2019 to harassment, simple assault and terrorist threat charges filed by Greensburg police for an Oct. 27, 2018, incident and was sentenced to serve a 90 days to 23 months.
He did not have an attorney listed in court documents.
Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@triblive.com or via Twitter .
