Man punched, sexually assaulted neighbor in Arnold, police say

A man is behind bars facing multiple charges including attempted homicide and rape after police say he brutally attacked a neighbor.

Neighbors on Taylor Avenue are stunned by the news.

“Aw man, she’s the sweetest lady,” said Darnell Williams, who lives a few houses away from the victim. “We don’t need that kind of misery around here, man.”

Cue Freckleton was taken into custody Monday night after police were called to the hospital after the alleged attack.

According to court documents, Freckleton knocked on his neighbor’s door Monday afternoon.

The 67-year-old woman opened the door, and police said Freckleton punched her at least 20 times.

The woman fell to the ground, and police said Freckleton dragged her by the hair into the home.

Once inside, police say Freckleton covered the victim’s mouth to muffle her screams and punched her as she tried to get her phone to call for help.

“He’s lucky I wasn’t around,” Williams said. “Normally I’m on the back porch. If I would have heard any of that commotion, dude, I would have went over there and put something on him.”

The woman then tried to escape to the bathroom and lock the door, but Freckleton followed and allegedly began choking her.

Police said Freckleton forced the woman into sexual acts, threatening he would continue to beat her if she didn’t. He then left the woman, after she promised she wouldn’t tell anyone.

He allegedly told her he’d be back to continue the next day.

“When you said what you said about that, I was shocked just now<” Williams told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek. “It’s peaceful around here. They just moved in not too long ago, and I didn’t know that guy was like that.”

Police tell Channel 11 Freckleton is not originally from Arnold, and they had no previous encounters with him. They say he was staying at his parent’s home.

Police said the victim thought she was going to die while she was being beaten.

She smeared her own blood on Freckleton’s shirt.

According to police, she thought if she died, that would link him to the crime.

Officers found him in front of his home Monday night. He was wearing a button-down shirt stained with blood.

“I’m gonna pray for her and I hope she has a speedy recovery, but man, I know that’s going to be heavy on her heart,” Williams said.

Freckleton was denied bail and remains in the Westmoreland County Prison. He’s due in court on June 27.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group