OCEAN CITY — A Pennsylvania man was arrested for first-degree assault this week after allegedly trying to drown a female in a bathtub.
Around 3 a.m. on Monday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported domestic assault at a motel on 30th Street. Officers arrived on the scene and knocked on the door of the unit in question with no success, according to police reports. The officers could reportedly hear a female sobbing inside the room and entered to locate the victim, according to police reports.
The victim told officers she had been choked by Angelo Sheffey, 21, of Pittsburgh, Pa., who had left the scene prior to the officers’ arrival. OCPD officers interviewed the victim, who clearly sounded out of breath and indicated she was having a hard time breathing, according to police reports.
The victim reportedly told police she had been at a resort bar with Sheffey and they had gotten into an argument over a comment someone else had made to her. The victim told officers the couple left the bar, returned to their room and stopped by another room on a different floor to pick up their two-month-old infant, according to police reports.
Once inside their room, the argument continued. The victim told officers Sheffey took her into the bathroom and began running water in the bathtub, according to police reports. The victim reportedly told officers Sheffey then grabbed her by the back of her head and held her under the water.
The victim reportedly told police she did not fight back and allowed the near drowning to continue. When asked why she did not attempt to fight back, the victim told officers she just wanted Sheffey to kill her at that point, according to police reports. The victim told officers Sheffey stopped holding her head under the water when they heard the infant crying.
The argument reportedly escalated again and Sheffey locked the victim on the room’s balcony. The victim told officers she believed her only means of escape was to scale the railing and jump or lower herself to a balcony below, according to police reports. While the victim was halfway over the railing, Sheffey observed the escape attempt and came out, according to police reports.
Sheffey then came out to the balcony and began pulling her over the rail and into the room, according to police reports. Once inside, the victim darted toward the door to run to another family member’s room on a different floor. Sheffey caught up to her in a stairway and began choking her again to the point she could not breath, according to police reports.
Sheffey only released his grip when he heard a family member from a different room coming out, according to police reports. There was reportedly a struggle between Sheffey and numerous family members to gain control of the infant.
