A Butler man is accused of hitting his mother in the face and locking her in a bedroom after an argument over the care of dogs, Butler Township police said.

Nicholas William Hrvoich, 39, was charged May 19 with one misdemeanor count each of abuse of a care-dependent person and simple assault following a May 19 incident.

Police said they were dispatched for reports of a son locking his mother in the bedroom of a home along Randy Drive. Police said Hrvoich refused to open the door, so police met his mother at another door.

The woman said she and Hrvoich got into an argument about caring for the dogs, and Hrvoich struck her in the face. The woman said she believed she would have fallen if she were not holding on to a counter at the time and did not feel safe in the home.

Police said the woman was recovering from an injury sustained during a fall in April.

Hrvoich is being held in Butler County Prison on $25,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 11 before District Judge Kevin O’Donnell.