A Snow Shoe man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after he allegedly strangled a Millheim woman, held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her.
State Police at Rockview responded on Saturday morning to a residence on West Main Street in Millheim after a neighbor reported hearing James D. Losch, 35, screaming at the woman and saying he was going to drown her.
The woman told police that Losch, whom she was no longer dating, arrived at her residence the night before and that after a verbal altercation she was afraid to tell him to leave. At about 7 a.m. they began to argue again and things turned physical when he pushed her onto a bed, according to a criminal complaint.
Losch allegedly turned up the heat in the room and told the woman that no one would find her for days. Police said the woman reported that Losch then jumped on top of her, put both hands around her throat and strangled her for about 30 seconds, allegedly telling her ‘today was her last day.’
According to the complaint, Losch then pulled a brown-handled knife from his pocket, held it to her throat and threatened to kill her. He allegedly rubbed the knife on her nose and then stabbed the wall next to the bed. Police said the knife was later found in Losch’s backpack near the front door after he gave permission for the bag to be searched.
Losch next took her to the kitchen, turned on the water at the sink and said he was going to drown her, according to police. He also allegedly told her he had a gun and would use it on her. Police said no gun was found in the residence.
The woman said that when police arrived on the scene Losch told her she wasn’t allowed to speak to them, according to the complaint. She also said that Losch had taken her phone earlier and she was unable to contact police.
The landlord of the residence said Losch did not live there and the woman said she did not want Losch to be there at all, according to police.
Losch was charged with strangulation, a first-degree felony; misdemeanor counts of terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct; and a summary count of harassment.
He was arraigned before District Judge Steven Lachman and straight monetary bail was set at $100,000.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
