A Shenandoah Heights man is being held without bail following his arraignment Wednesday on multiple felony charges stemming from an alleged violent assault.
Joshua Fowle, 42, of Shenandoah, was charged by West Mahanoy Township Police with numerous offenses including aggravated assault, strangulation, terroristic threats, unlawful restraint, and related charges.
According to court documents and the affidavit of probable cause, police were dispatched around 1:45 a.m. on February 18, 2026, after speaking with the alleged female victim.
The victim told police that Fowle was smoking methamphetamine and thought he saw the police creep past their home on Schuylkill Avenue. The victim said Fowle became enraged and they got into an argument that escalated. She reported that Fowle allegedly struck her multiple times with a 16-ounce claw hammer about the head, neck, chest, and right arm.
Police state she further reported being grabbed by the throat and choked to the point she could not breathe. During the incident, Fowle allegedly threatened to take her into the woods and kill her.
The victim told police Fowle drug her out of the rear of the residence where she sat down in the yard by a shed and told him she couldn't go any farther. He then hit her in the face with a cell phone and ran away.
Fowle was later found in Shenandoah Borough on West Coal Street, bleeding from his legs and soaked with water.
Officers documented injuries to the victim's legs, chest, neck, arm, and head, which were noted in the affidavit as being consistent with the reported assault.
Fowle was charged with:
- Two counts of Aggravated Assault (F1 and F2)
- Strangulation (F2)
- Terroristic Threats (M1)
- Simple Assault (M2)
- Recklessly Endangering Another Person (M2)
- Unlawful Restraint – Serious Bodily Injury (M1)
- Disorderly Conduct (S)
- Cyber Harassment of a Child
He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker on Wednesday afternoon.
Judge Kilker denied bail, citing that “no condition or combination of conditions other than imprisonment will reasonably assure the safety” of others.
Fowle remains lodged in Schuylkill County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 26, 2026, before Judge Kilker.