Pa State Rep Allegedly Punches, Chokes Wife

Rep. Joseph Brennan then drove away drunk, police said.

A Pennsylvania state representative faces assault and other charges after allegedly punching and choking his wife then driving away drunk.

Democratic state Rep. Joseph Brennan was arrested Wednesday afternoon following a 911 call about a man hitting a woman outside their Fountain Hill, Lehigh County home.

Norma Jane Brennan told officers her husband had choked, punched and wrestled her to the ground. Joseph Brennan was pulled over a few blocks away, where police say a breath test found he had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit for drivers.

"I feel sorry for him and his family, you know, that he can't get it together, and that he's our representative," said Constance Brown, Fountain Hill, Pa.

Brennan said last year he was experiencing a "long and personal struggle with alcohol" following a DUI arrest in June 2011.

He was arraigned and released on $7,500 bail. He's been ordered to have no contact with his wife.

Brennan been in office since 2007 and he's running for re-election in the Fall.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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