Brown County District Court

• Matthew A. Penkert, 26, 200 E. 3rd St., Hanska was charged March 5 with felony domestic assault. According to court documents, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a woman regarding an assault that happened earlier in the day. She said her live-in boyfriend, Penkert, assaulted her by grabbing her by the back of her hair, around her throat and threw her to the floor prior to leaving for work.

Enroute to jail, a deputy contacted a Brown County Victim Advocate Witness regarding the situation and was told the advocate witness talked with the woman earlier in the day regarding Penkert’s emotional issues.

At the jail, the deputy photographed marks on the left side of the woman’s neck. She said the assault began over her looking through Penkert’s cell phone and she didn’t like some of the content she saw. At that point, she tossed the phone back to him, he became extremely angry and grabbed her by the back of her hair and around her throat, forcing her face down on the floor. The woman waited for Penkert to leave before calling the sheriff’s office.

The deputy contacted Madelia Police for help in arresting Penkert at his work place. He was arrested without incident. He was convicted of stalking-intent to injure on Nov. 12, 2019, threats of violence on Aug. 31, 2020 in Brown County Court. Both convictions are qualified domestic offenses.