State Rep. Joe Brennan Arrested

UPDATED: 10:50 PM

State Rep. Joseph Brennan allegedly grabbed his wife by the neck, choked her with both hands, slapped and punched her in the face and wrestled her to the floor of their front porch in Fountain Hill, according to a published report in The Morning Call.

Then he drove away from his home drunk, police said.

According to online court records, Brennan, 48, of 1201 Delaware Ave., was charged with simple assault, a second degree misdemeanor, and harassment, a summary charge.

He was arraigned before on-duty District Judge Donna Butler of Emmaus at 9 p.m. and then committed to Lehigh County Prison after failing to post $7,000 bail.

The online record says nothing about a drunken driving charge, though the newspaper reported that Brennan failed a field sobriety test when he was stopped by a borough police officer on the 1400 block of Stanley Avenue. He was then taken to the DUI center at Lehigh County Prison for a blood test.

Brennan's wife, Norma Jane, had visible injuries to her left hand, knuckles, both feet and her left knee, according to the arrest affidavit. She reportedly told police what the legislator had done to her.

In October, Brennan into the accelerated rehabilitative disposition program for first-time offenders as the final disposition of a drunken driving arrest -- in June 2011 in South Bethlehem.

Brennan was arrested by Bethlehem police in front of his . after an eyewitness reported that in the parking lot of the Wawa convenience store at Broad Street and Stefko Boulevard.

The next day, the state representative issued acknowledging that he has had a “long and personal struggle with alcohol.”

A Democrat who lives in Fountain Hill, Brennan represents the 133rd state House District, which includes large portions of the city of Bethlehem and Salisbury Township, as well as Fountain Hill, Catasauqua, Coplay, Hanover Township in Lehigh County and parts of Allentown and Whitehall Township.

He is currently seeking re-election for his fourth term in the state House and is opposed by Catasauqua Republican David Molony in the general election.