A Tamaqua man was committed to the Schuylkill County Prison on charges of choking a woman.

Tamaqua police charged Steven Polanco, 35, with strangulation, simple assault and harassment following a 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28 incident in the borough.

Police said they were called to a home on the 300 block of North Railroad Street and spoke to a woman who said that she and Polanco argued all day about how one spent more money on Christmas presents. The woman said Polanco pushed her onto a bed and choked her until she almost lost consciousness.

The woman said she called her mother, and while speaking to her, Polanco punched her in the face.

Police spoke to Polanco and another man. Both denied the woman’s allegations.

Polanco was taken into custody and arraigned before Shenandoah Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, who set bail at $25,000 cash. He subsequently posted bail on Dec. 30, according to court papers.

A preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer in Tamaqua has been scheduled for Jan. 28.

— Jill Whalen