Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Husband's Bad Dream Over Infidelity Leads to Wife's Assault: Police

A Pennsylvania man who police say tried to strangle his wife after waking up from a dream that she was cheating on him has been jailed on attempted homicide and other charges.

Police say 49-year-old Conrad Rudalavage, of Archbald, a borough near Scranton, was drinking before he fell asleep, then woke up Saturday night convinced that his wife was unfaithful.

He almost immediately began to attack his wife -- choking her to the point that she couldn't breathe -- while saying, "It ends here, I am going to kill you," according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC10.

He slapped, choked and threatened to kill his wife -- slamming her head against the floor -- until she ran outside and tried to get into her truck outside the home, police said.

Rudalavage grabbed the keys and held down his wife's arms but she still managed to hit the horn, getting a neighbor's attention, according to police. He allegedly bit her arm and began to drag her back into the garage and pinned her down, repeatedly punching her while continuing the attack.

The attack continued as the couple's teenage daughter arrived home with a friend and intervened as the mother screamed, "help, help," and her father screamed "f--- you, I'm going to kill you," police said.

The girl tried to call 911, at which point Rudalavage allegedly began attacking and choking the 17-year-old, too, police said. He then smashed the girl's cellphone, police said.

Police say the girl was able to escape and run to neighbors for help. The neighbor helped pull Rudalavage off of his wife, who was treated for "severe swelling" and bruising to her nose, eye, head and neck, police said.

Before police officers responded around 10:30 p.m., Rudalavage drove off, leading an officer on a brief chase that ended in the parking lot of a family-owned business, police said. The suspect had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath at the time of his arrest, officer said.

Rudalavage remained in the Lackawanna County jail Thursday. His attorney didn't immediately return a call. [[238427591, C]]

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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