Man faces charges in alleged attack on roommate
SAXONBURG — A Clinton Township man is headed for court on charges that he attacked a 43-year-old woman with a pickaxe handle at their home, leaving her with an apparent broken leg.
James H. Slimick Sr., 57, waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday at the office of District Judge Sue Haggerty in Saxonburg. He is charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, a misdemeanor count of simple assault, and a summary count of harassment.
State police said they were called around 11 a.m. Aug. 2 to Stark Road in Clinton Township for a reported domestic dispute. Troopers found the victim with numerous injuries, including a puncture wound on her left hand.
She also had bruising and swelling on both ankles and legs and on her left hand and arm. She accused Slimick of causing the injuries.
The woman told police that she and Slimick are roommates. She added that the defendant “wishes to pursue a romantic relationship, but she does not,” according to troopers.
She recounted that she was packing a suitcase to leave the home when an argument turned violent, police said.
Slimick allegedly struck her with his hand and a blunt object, which troopers later identified as the handle of a pickaxe. She believed he also used a sharp instrument, possibly a knife, in the alleged attack and kicked her genitals.
The woman was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights for treatment of injuries. An ambulance crew advised police that it appeared she had a broken leg.
Slimick was nowhere to be found when troopers arrived, according to charging documents. A police helicopter was deployed to help officers search for him.
Approximately two and a half hours after they got the call, police found Slimick in a cornfield near his home, authorities said.
Police subsequently obtained a search warrant for his house, where they seized a wooden axe handle and a kitchen knife.
“These items,” documents said, “are consistent with the victim's injuries and her statement.”
Slimick's attorney, public defender Ryan Helsel, declined to comment after Tuesday's proceedings.
