A Rapho Township man charged with strangling a woman and later threatening her in an attempt to prevent her from testifying against him will have his cases proceed to county court following preliminary hearings on the matters earlier this month.

Judge Michael Hess ruled Sept. 3 that the cases of Steven A. Grabowski, 39, could proceed to the Court of Common Pleas on charges of strangulation and simple assault on one matter and two counts of intimidating a witness and a single count of stalking on the other.

Grabowski is first accused of assaulting the victim, his then-roommate, at their shared residence in the first block of Lancaster Estates the evening of June 20.

An upset Grabowski pushed and strangled the victim as he attempted to take her cellphone away from her shortly after 9 p.m., she told police.

The victim suffered injuries to her arm and bruises on her neck as a result of Grabowski’s assault.

Late on in August, Grabowski is accused of sending a series of threatening text messages to the same victim leading up to the day of his scheduled preliminary hearing for the initial offenses. Grabowski told the victim in the messages that she would never get to see her son again if she appeared in court to testify, but that she could return to their shared residence to live with him again if she skipped the court appearance.

Police reviewed screenshots of the text messages and charged Grabowski with the additional offenses when he appeared for his court hearing.

Though previously free on $10,000 unsecured bail, Grabowski is currently in Lancaster County Prison on a combined $60,000 bail following the additional charges.

Manheim Borough Police officers Hudson Hughes and Michael Klock filed the charges.

Assistant District Attorney Anthony Gilbert represented the Commonwealth during the proceedings.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.