Cops: West Newton man awaiting trial accused of assaulting woman
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A 38-year-old man awaiting trial for allegedly endangering his infant daughter by withholding medical treatment was arrested Saturday and charged with assaulting a woman and threatening her with a knife inside his West Newton home, according to court documents.
Robert J. Aquilina is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment and reckless endangerment.
Police were dispatched to Aquilina’s apartment on West Main Street about 10 p.m. to investigate an assault with a knife, West Newton Officer Michael Stefko said in court documents filed with Rostraver District Judge Charles Christner.
Stefko said a female reported she and Aquilina were arguing and he threatened her with a knife. He then fled into an upstairs bedroom, the woman told police. Stefko said the woman had scratch marks on her neck, but declined medical treatment.
Police said a knife was recovered from the bedroom and Aquilina surrendered without incident. He was arraigned in night court and was being held in the county jail on $10,000 bail pending a June 17 preliminary hearing before Christner.
Aquilina and his wife, Tiffany, are awaiting trial on charges of endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person. Police allege the pair failed to follow the advice of a pediatrician last February and take their 7-day-old daughter to a hospital for treatment because of concerns over her weight and body temperature, according to court papers. The infant is now in the custody of a relative while the case moves through court.
Both parents have pleaded not guilty to those charges and are awaiting trial, according to court documents.