Pittston Area School District Superintendent Kevin Booth faces charges after he allegedly choked his wife Sunday night during a domestic dispute at their home.
Booth did not immediately respond to a voicemail left at his office seeking comment.
Pittston City Police in an affidavit said officers were called to the Booth family home on Union Street at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday after a woman reported that a domestic incident had turned violent and a man had choked her.
Police spoke with Jessica Booth on arrival, and she told them her husband Kevin "kinda tossed me around a bit" and "choked" her, the affidavit states.
Jessica Booth told police she and her husband had been fighting, and that he had her phone all day and had "come home drunk," according to the affidavit. The struggle took place in their bedroom, where the pair had fallen into her closet, she told police.
An officer said he observed redness on both sides of Jessica Booth's neck, and then asked her to see the bedroom.
Kevin Booth was lying in bed when they entered the room.
"When asked what had happened, Kevin states 'no idea,' and when asked if anything physical took place he states, 'not that I'm aware of,'" according to the affidavit.
Jessica Booth told police that she couldn't breathe for a second while being choked, and that she tried to kick her husband after he had brought her to the ground, at which time he let her go.
Police said Kevin Booth told them his wife had taken his iPad and other items. When asked again if anything physical had taken place he replied "not really," denied hitting or choking his wife, and told police about the couple's "marital issues," the affidavit states.
Police spoke with a family member in the home, who told them he heard yelling upstairs and went up and found the couple "wrestling over the phone."
Kevin Booth, 54, was charged with a misdemeanor count of simple assault and one count of harassment, a summary offense.
He was arraigned Monday by District Judge Brian Tupper of Kingston Township and released on $2,500 unsecured bail pending further proceedings.
