An assistant district attorney dropped all charges during a preliminary hearing for a Butler man accused of beating and threatening to kill a woman on Monday, Feb. 2.

Skyler Matthew Huskins, 29, had charges of felony aggravated assault, two misdemeanor charges of simple assault and one misdemeanor count each of terroristic threats and reckless endangerment withdrawn after the allegedly assaulted woman did not testify.

The woman arrived at the preliminary hearing but left before the prosecution could get her to testify, according to assistant district attorney J.P. Culzer.

“I can’t present a case, your honor, without her testimony,” Culzer told District Judge William Fullerton, who had already continued the case once for the prosecution.

Culzer said charges may be refiled.

Butler police filed the charges Jan. 5 after responding to a Center Avenue residence on Jan. 4 after receiving a 911 call from the residence with a woman screaming.

When police arrived, dispatchers informed them the woman called back and said “never mind I’m so sorry,” then hung up.

Police knocked on the back door of the residence and heard a woman’s voice. She opened the door after police knocked on the neighbor’s door. Police entered her residence and saw the woman had blood on her leggings and swelling beginning to show under her left eye.

Huskins was not at the residence at the time.

Police also found a shattered mirror and glass shards in a bedroom of the home. The woman told police she left with Huskins to get alcohol and when they returned, Huskins choked and punched her while the two were on the couch. She also said he ripped out her hair.

The woman told police Huskins had chased her upstairs, broken a mirror and dragged her out from under a bed. She told police Huskins then grabbed a glass shard and put it against her throat. Police said the woman had fresh scrapes on her back.

The woman told police Huskins also kept a kitchen knife in his back pocket most of the day and threatened to kill her with it multiple times.

Police noted the woman has a pituitary tumor that may rupture from trauma.

Public defender Terri Schultz represented Huskins.