Derry Township assault victim hid inside van until troopers arrived

State police responding to a domestic assault in Derry Township early Wednesday said the victim fled her home and hid inside a van until troopers arrived.

Jordache R. Larrabee, 31, of Derry Township, was charged by with assaulting, choking and threatening the woman during the 1:23 a.m. incident along Torrance Road in the village of Torrance.

Trooper Brian Hupe said police were dispatched to a report of a domestic assault and, when they arrived, found the victim locked inside a van parked on the property.

“I observed red marks around the victim’s neck,” Hupe wrote in court documents.

The victim told police she and Larrabee got into a verbal argument that turned physical when he tried to take away her cellphone as she called police.

According to Hupe, the victim said Larrabee “shoved her down several times,” then placed her in a head lock and she had trouble breathing.

The victim was able to break free, run from the house and call state police, according to court reports.

Larrabee was arraigned on charges of harassment, simple assault and strangulation and ordered held in the county prison after failing to post $35,000 bond pending a preliminary hearing Nov. 18.

According to court dockets, Larrabee pleaded guilty in January to a driving under the influence charge filed by Ligonier Valley Police in July 2019.

In 2011, Larrabee, who used to live in Ruffsdale, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance filed by state police and was entered into a probationary program for first-time offenders.