Man sentenced for stalking, assaulting ex-girlfriend

NORRISTOWN >> An Ambler man has court supervision and domestic violence counseling in his future after he admitted to stalking, threatening and assaulting his former girlfriend in the borough.

Franco Aversa, 26, of the 200 block of Mattison Avenue, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 6-to-23-months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of stalking, terroristic threats and simple assault in connection with a March 2018 incident in Ambler. Aversa will receive credit for the time he’s been in jail since March.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Aversa to complete five years’ probation following parole, meaning Aversa will be under court supervision for about seven years. O’Neill ordered Aversa to complete a domestic violence counseling probation and to stay away from the victim and her residence.

The judge said Aversa cannot own or possess firearms. Aversa also must undergo addiction and mental health evaluations as part of the sentence, the judge said.

An investigation of Aversa began about 11:23 p.m. March 23 when Ambler police were dispatched to a borough residence after a woman reported her roommate was attacked by Aversa.

The victim subsequently told police that after ending her relationship and attempting to cease all contact with Aversa, her exboyfriend, he entered her apartment building’s common area without her permission and hid behind a door waiting for her to arrive home from work, according to the criminal complaint filed by Ambler Police Officer Nicholas Nasobkow.

“The victim stated that as she entered and closed the vestibule door behind her it revealed Franco was there waiting for her,” Nasobkow alleged in the arrest affidavit. “The victim said Franco said nothing and immediately grabbed her by her hair and covered her mouth with his hand and attempted to drag her back outside.

“While passing through the vestibule, the victim struggled enough to momentarily free her mouth from the attacker’s grasp and she screamed. The victim’s roommate heard this and shouted back. Hearing this, Franco released the victim and fled on foot,” Nasobkow added.

The victim suffered scrapes to her finger and a swollen lip “and the experience was terrifying for her,” police alleged.

“While interviewing the victim, she indicated her ex-boyfriend has a history of verbally and physically abusing her and had been ‘aggressively calling’ her with threats of physical violence earlier in the day,” Nasobkow alleged.

Other charges of harassment, criminal trespass and false imprisonment were dismissed against Aversa as part of the plea agreement.