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NORRISTOWN — A judge has convicted an Upper Providence man of strangling and assaulting his girlfriend during a Valentine’s Day domestic incident and remanded him to jail to await his fate.
Robert Hawkins, 36, of the 100 block of Walnut Street in the Mont Clare section of the township, was convicted in Montgomery County Court of charges of strangulation, simple assault, terroristic threats and harassment in connection with incidents that occurred at his residence between Feb. 14 and Feb. 15, 2021.
Judge William R. Carpenter rendered the verdict during a nonjury trial.
Carpenter deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Hawkins, who will undergo drug, alcohol and mental health evaluations.
The judge remanded Hawkins, formerly of Reading, to the county jail without bail to await his sentencing hearing later this year.
Hawkins faces a possible maximum sentence of 8½ to 17 years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.
The investigation began about 2:45 p.m. Feb. 15, 2021, when a friend of the victim called police to report that the victim had been assaulted by Hawkins. The victim had sought help from her friend after being assaulted by Hawkins, her boyfriend, according to a criminal complaint filed by Upper Providence Police Officer Mark Minnick.
The victim subsequently told police that Hawkins picked her up from work on Feb. 14 and they arrived at Hawkins’ residence where an argument ensued.
During the verbal argument, Hawkins grabbed the woman with both of his hands around her neck and choked her “to the point it was difficult for her to breathe and she thought she was going to die,” Minnick alleged in the arrest affidavit.
“He let her go and told her to go do the dishes in the kitchen,” Minnick alleged, adding while the woman was in the kitchen Hawkins pushed her to the floor and threatened her with a broom, specifically stating, “I will (expletive) kill you with this.”
The following morning the couple continued to argue and Hawkins used the palm of his hand to strike the woman in the eye, police alleged.
“(The victim) had three bruise marks on her neck from where Hawkins choked her. (She) had bruising on her right shoulder from being pushed to the floor. (The victim’s) right eye was red from the push from Hawkins and she complained of a headache from it,” Minnick alleged.
Assistant District Attorney Bradley Walter Deckel handled the case. Defense lawyer George M. Griffith Jr. represented Hawkins during the court proceedings.
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