Man arrested after alleged assault

EAST PIKELAND » An East Pikeland man is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a woman and refusing to let her leave.

Sean Cunliffe, 58, of East Pikeland has been charged after police responded to a reported dispute, police said.

When police arrived at the residence and spoke to the victim on the phone, the victim emerged from the home upset and with what appeared to be water down the front of her clothes. The victim told police that Cunliffe had poured a gallon of milk over her head and grabbed her hair and pulled her around the house. Police observed that the victim had a large clump of hair in her hand which she claimed Cunliffe had ripped out of her head. Upon asking where Cunliffe was, police were informed that he was sitting in the garage doorway.

Police approached Cunliffe who explained that he had been arguing with the victim and told police why.

Cunliffe told police that he had gotten frustrated with the victim because he had been trying to have a discussion with her but she remained focused on her computer. Cunliffe explained that he lost his temper and, in an effort to gain the victim’s attention, poured a gallon of milk over her head and onto the computer. The victim then backed away from the computer and an argument began, according to court documents.

During the argument, Cunliffe raised his voice and followed the victim around the kitchen. During the course of the argument, Cunliffe allegedly grabbed the victim by the hair and proceeded to drag the victim. The victim was still on her feet as Cunliffe dragged her from the kitchen into the living room where she tried to grab hold of the couch to resist being pulled, police said. Cunliffe then pulled her away from the couch and continued to pull the victim into a ground-level bedroom.

Once inside the room, the victim attempted to break Cunliffe’s grasp by hitting his hand with a tablet computer. The victim was eventually able to break free and immediately ran out of the room and upstairs, where she locked herself in the master bathroom, according to court documents.

While in the bathroom the victim heard Cunliffe enter the room and say that he wanted to talk with her. The victim responded by telling Cunliffe to get out. The victim then opened the bathroom window and crawled onto the outside roof. She then approached the ladder and Cunliffe was outside on the ground next to the ladder, police said.

Cunliffe again told the victim that he wanted to talk to her and she crawled back into the window. The victim then left the bedroom and attempted to go downstairs and leave the house. Cunliffe was seated at the bottom of the stairs and the victim did not want to cross over him to leave, according to police. The victim then asked Cunliffe to leave and mentioned that he pulled out her hair. Cunliffe continued to say he wanted to talk and denied being responsible for pulling out the victim’s hair. The victim eventually walked down the stairs and ran by Cunliffe to the garage where she attempted to leave. Cunliffe seated himself behind the vehicle, preventing the victim from leaving, according to court documents.

Cunliffe is facing charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment and unlawful restraint. He faced a preliminary arraignment on Oct. 28 before District Judge James V. DeAngelo and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 13 again before District Judge James V. DeAngelo. Bail was set at $50,000 unsecured.