CLARION BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — A Clarion man is behind bars following an incident in which he allegedly choked a juvenile and slammed him to the ground in front of multiple witnesses.

According to court documents, the Clarion Borough Police Department filed the following criminal charges against 37-year-old Joshua N. Parkhurst, of Clarion:

– Aggravated Assault, Felony 1
– Strangulation — Applying Pressure to Throat or Neck, Felony 2
– Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession With Intent to Manufacture or Deliver, Felony
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Use/Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Misdemeanor
– Disorder Conduct Hazardous/Physical Offense, Summary

The charges are the result of an incident that occurred at a residence on South Street in Clarion on October 7.

According to a criminal complaint, Chief William Peck and Officers Wright and Zerfoss, of the Clarion Borough Police Department, were dispatched to the above-described location for a report of a disturbance around 4:33 p.m. on Monday, October 7.

According to the complaint, Officer Wright was met by a known witness at the scene who reported that an adult male who lives at the South Street address grabbed a juvenile male, who resides at the same address, by the throat, picked him up by his neck, and slammed him to the ground. The witness stated that another known witness then ran over and punched the man twice in the face to get him off the juvenile. The witness reported the man then fled the scene on foot when he was told that the police had been contacted.

The complaint notes that the first witness and three additional witnesses were interviewed by Officer Zerfoss, and all of their reports were consistent.

Officer Wright knocked at the door of the residence, made contact with a known female, and asked about the man who was in the altercation with the juvenile. The woman advised that he was her boyfriend, Joshua Parkhurst. When asked about Parkhurst’s current location, the woman reported he left on foot and that she didn’t know where he’d gone. Officer Wright then asked to speak to the woman’s juvenile son.

According to the complaint, the juvenile reported that his mom’s boyfriend “Josh” accused him and his friends of going into his bedroom and he got angry. The juvenile said Parkhurst grabbed him by the throat and squeezed until he could no longer breathe.

The juvenile went on to state that he “thought he was going to die” and said that if someone hadn’t interfered, he believed he would be dead, according to the complaint.

The complaint notes that Officer Wright observed red marks on the juvenile’s face, neck, and chest area and took photographs of the injuries.

According to the complaint, the juvenile’s mother said that Parkhurst did not grab the juvenile by the throat and said “if he did, I would understand because I am tired of him, too.”

Officer Wright then contacted Clarion County Children and Youth Services (CYS), and they responded to the scene.

Chief Peck then spoke to the juvenile, as well.

According to the complaint, the juvenile told Chief Peck that Parkhurst was angry over a “weed plant” that was growing in Parkhurst’s and the juvenile’s mother’s closet in the residence.

The complaint notes that when Chief Peck asked the juvenile’s mother about a marijuana plant growing in the closet, she gave consent for officers to search the residence.

Chief Peck and Officer Wright then proceeded to the bedroom in question and located a wooden box, lined with foil, which had an aluminum pie pan in the bottom with a marijuana leaf in the pie pan. The wooden box also had lights attached to the inside of it, which are commonly used to grow marijuana indoors, the complaint indicates.

When confronted with the box and asked about it, the juvenile’s mother allegedly stated that she “had no idea Josh had that in the closet,” the complaint states.

Parkhurst was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn at 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8.

Unable to post $10,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Clarion County Jail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 15, with Judge Quinn presiding.