A Penn Township man accused of knocking his girlfriend to the floor and repeatedly hitting her during an argument was ordered held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bond.
Bryan W. O’Malley, 38, was arrested early Saturday by township police on charges of harassment and simple assault after the incident in a residence on Saunders Station Road.
A woman told Officer Ross Piriano that O’Malley and she were arguing and he followed her into the basement, where he struck her and she fell to the floor. According to court documents, she told police that O’Malley, who had been drinking alcohol, then sat on top of her and repeatedly punched her with a closed fist.
The woman told Piriano she broke free after O’Malley became distracted when a relative entered the room. Court records reported the woman ran to her car, drove away and called police.
Piriano reported that during an interview he saw redness around the woman’s ears and jaw and that she had a swollen lip.
Police said O’Malley was taken into custody without incident.
According to online court dockets, O’Malley was convicted of DUI in Allegheny County in 2006 and in Westmoreland County in 2009. Records show that in addition to the DUI in North Huntingdon, O’Malley also pleaded guilty in that case to driving on a suspended license.
