Man Arrested for Allegedly Choking, Punching Woman

This story was updated on Aug. 31.

A man was arrested early Thursday morning for allegedly choking and punching a woman outside of a State College apartment.

Alec Dauro, 21, was charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor, and summary counts of physical harassment and disorderly conduct.

State College Police responded to a domestic dispute call at 3:42 a.m. on Thursday at The Retreat apartments on Waupelani Drive. As an officer approached the apartment he heard a woman screaming and ‘what sounded like someone getting hit at least four times,’ according to the affidavit of probable cause.

Dauro and the woman were outside of an apartment, where the woman ‘was crying hysterically,’ according to the affidavit. The woman allegedly had a bloody mouth as well as red marks on her body, a scrape on her left forearm and marks on her mouth and jaw — all allegedly from the altercation. Police said they did not observe any mark on Dauro.

The woman allegedly told police that Dauro ‘placed his hands around her neck and placed her on the ground with her head against a rock and pinned her down a second time on the hood of a vehicle by her neck so she could not breathe.’ She allegedly said Dauro also punched her with a closed fist.

At an Aug. 31 preliminary hearing, however, the woman testified that the marks on her mouth and jaw were not from being struck by Dauro. She said she told police he had punched her, but that in fact she was intoxicated and while walking home she stumbled and fell, causing a cut on her lip and marks on her jaw.

She said at that point she decided to go to Dauro’s apartment. When she walked into the apartment she became angry when she found him with another woman, she said. She testified that she ‘came at him’ scratched at him and Dauro put his hands around her neck and pinned down her arms. She said one of the times he placed his hands on her throat she was unable to breathe.

A witness also told police that he heard screams and allegedly saw Dauro push the woman down on a silver sedan.

District Judge Kelley Gilette-Walker bound the charges over to Commonwealth Court.