Phila. man accused of assault

Michael Kronmiller, 25, allegedly attacked his girlfriend before being scared off by a retired cop, according to police

UPPER GWYNEDD >> Upper Gwynedd police say a 25-year-old Philadelphia man chased and assaulted his girlfriend on a township street, then fled after being scared off by a retired cop.

Michael John Kronmiller, of the 600 block of Summit Avenue, is behind bars at Montgomery County Correctional Facility and charged with misdemeanor counts of simple assault and criminal mischief — as well as summary counts of public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and harassment — in connection with the alleged May 14 incident.

Police said that around 9 p.m. that night, Upper Gywnedd officers responded to the area of Sumneytown Pike and Barberry Road for a domestic incident in progress — according to court documents, a retired Lower Gwynedd police officer told arriving cops that he heard a woman scream and then saw a man jump on her back and put her into a bear-hug-type hold, at which point he yelled at the assailant who then fled the scene on foot.

Cops made contact with the woman at her car parked nearby; an affidavit indicates she had a bloody cut on her right arm, several deep scratches on her neck and a torn shirt. She told police that Kronmiller, who was “highly intoxicated,” had assaulted her inside and outside the car, and had also smashed her windshield at a Wawa in Upper Gwynedd prior to the assault, according to the affidavit.

Upper Gwynedd police set up a perimeter and called in both Lower Gwynedd and North Wales police, as well as a K-9 unit from Cheltenham police, to assist with the search for Kronmiller, who was found behind the William Penn Inn and taken into custody without incident, court documents show.

A portable breath test indicated Kronmiller’s blood alcohol content was .18 percent, the affidavit states.

Kronmiller remained incarcerated Wednesday in lieu of $5,000 cash bail while awaiting his May 26 preliminary hearing in district court.