Man arrested for sledgehammer attack

January 30, 2012 at 8:39a.m.

WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Police have charged a western Pennsylvania man with attempted homicide and aggravated assault after he allegedly hit a woman in the head with a sledgehammer.

47-year-old Paul C. Helmick of Washington is being held on $250,000 cash bond.

Police say Helmick allegedly beat in the apartment door of 51-year-old Lori Ann Phillips on Sunday and then hit her in the head. She was airlifted to a local hospital and is in critical condition with a skull fracture.