A mother strangled her child, police say. Then she gave her daughter a butcher’s knife

A Boalsburg mother has been charged after a domestic incident involving her daughter.

Sherry Ann Houtz, 37, told State college police officers on Jan. 7 that she was upset over her daughter being home alone with a teenage boy. She allegedly confronted her daughter about her phone and choked her.

Houtz told police she has an anger problem and attempted to force her daughter to cut Houtz’s wrists with a butcher’s knife.

The daughter told police officers she had initially gotten away from her mother, left the house and stood in the driveway before she was forced back inside, according to the affidavit. She said that’s when Houtz pinned her, choked her to the point she couldn’t breathe and let her up to get a knife.

Police arrived shortly afterward and arrested Houtz, charging her with misdemeanor strangulation, misdemeanor simple assault and harassment, a summary offense.

Houtz was released on unsecured $10,000 bail set by District Judge Carmine Prestia.

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 10:19 AM with the headline "A mother strangled her child, police say. Then she gave her daughter a butcher’s knife."