Altoona man charged with simple assault

An Altoona man is facing assault charges after allegedly striking his girlfriend at a downtown State College night spot.

According to the criminal complaint filed by State College police, officers on patrol at about 12:10 a.m. Sunday were flagged down by the owner of the Lion’s Den nightclub, Chris Rosengrant. Rosengrant said that a man had struck a woman while on the dance floor.

The man, identified as Devonte Charles, 22, was escorted by bar staff to the sidewalk where he was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car, police said.

Witnesses at the Lion’s Den said Charles had arrived with a woman, identified by Charles as his girlfriend, police said. Charles allegedly became upset when he saw her talking to another man and punched the man in the face.

Charles then allegedly punched the woman, police said, knocking her to the ground. She suffered a swollen lip and a hole under her lip where a tooth had punctured through her skin.

Charles was arraigned before District Judge Carmine Prestia and charged with a misdemeanor count of simple assault and a summary count of harassment. Unsecured bail was set at $25,000.

A preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday.

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 7:21 PM with the headline "Altoona man charged with simple assault."