Guilty plea hearing scheduled in 2015 Hatfield assault case

Tunde Owotutu, 38, allegedly punched his former lover during an altercation in 2015

NORRISTOWN >> A 38-yearold Hatfield Township man awaiting trial for allegedly assaulting his ex-lover during a domestic altercation in the summer of 2015 intends to plead guilty in the case later this month, according to court records.

A guilty plea hearing for Tunde Tomiwa Owotutu, who faces one count each of second-degree misdemeanor simple assault and summary harassment, has been scheduled for March 23, records indicate.

Hatfield Township police have said in a criminal complaint that just after 11 p.m. on July 28, 2015, officers responded to the Hatfield Village Apartments for a reported physical domestic disturbance and encountered Owotutu — a resident of the apartments — and a woman outside in the parking lot.

Owotutu immediately told police officers “it was an accident,” according to the complaint; police said he was “rambling on” about the woman getting angry with him for checking up on her and that Owotutu was “not making much sense.”

Police said the woman told them that she and Owotutu had formerly been romantically involved and still lived together.

She said that the two had been arguing about a new dress she was wearing and that Owotutu had gotten angry and was clapping his hands in front of her face, and when she raised her hands to protect herself, he punched her in the face with a closed fist, the complaint indicates.

The woman had a large bruise on her left cheek and eye socket, plus redness and swelling, according to police.

Owotutu’s bail in the case was originally set at $10,000 unsecured at his July 29 preliminary arraignment, but in November of 2015, Owotutu had his bail increased to $50,000 cash due to concerns for the victim’s safety after Owotutu allegedly violated a bail condition prohibiting him from having contact with the woman, law enforcement authorities said at the time.

Owotutu was behind bars at Montgomery County jail from Nov. 2, 2015, until he waived his preliminary hearing on Dec. 1, 2015, at which point his unsecured bail was reinstated and he was released from custody.

A bench trial had been scheduled for Friday, records show.

Owotutu’s lawyer could not immediately be reached Wednesday for comment on the impending guilty plea.