15-05-2025
Wilkes-Barre man charged with assaulting pregnant girlfriend
A Wilkes-Barre man attacked his pregnant girlfriend as the two were leaving a Dickson City restaurant on May 12, according to a criminal complaint.
Imar Pena, 26, of 343 S. Washington St., allegedly held his girlfriend by the hair and banged her head on the car dashboard repeatedly as the two were driving toward Scranton.
He is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault of an unborn child and unlawful restraint.
According to the criminal complaint:
At about 9:30 p.m., Dickson City police responded to the emergency department at Geisinger Community Medical Center to speak to the victim of domestic violence. Officers spoke with Alisha Ocasio, who said she was Pena's girlfriend. She said the two were walking into Tokyo Japanese Steak House for dinner, when Pena called her a derogatory name.
Ocasio told police she believed the two weren't going to have a good time and left the restaurant.
Pena got in his black Nissan Sentra and Ocasio began walking away. That is when Pena began chasing his girlfriend in his vehicle and she fled to the back of the building.
Pena drove the car over the curb and caught up to Ocasio. Then, he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the vehicle. As the two were driving toward the Scranton/Carbondale highway, Ocasio's phone lit up, angering Pena.
Pena pulled into the parking lot of a business and took Ocasio's keys, her two phones, her wallet and her shoes and told her to get out.
When she attempted to leave the car, however, he grabbed her by the hair to pull her back in. He then drove toward the Scranton Expressway, continuing to hold onto Ocasio's hair.
Ocasio tried to get out of the car several times, but Pena smashed her head off the dashboard.
When the two arrived at the Township Boulevard Apartments, Ocasio punched Pena's wrist to try to break his grip on her hair.
When she got free, Pena bear hugged Ocasio around her '17-week pregnant belly,' according to the criminal complaint.
When Ocasio attempted to get out of the car, Pena followed. When she tried to stand up, he slammed her to the ground.
Ocasio told police Pena gave her a 'crazy look' and she got up and started to run toward a woman in a nearby car, who encouraged her to come her way.
Ocasio was transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where she was treated for a scraped knee, scraped elbow, knot on the back of her head and bleeding.
Pena remains at the Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on May 28 before District Judge Christopher J. Szewczyk.
