A Cobleskill man was arrested on Sunday, February 19 after police responded to an Elm Street home and found him holding a knife to a woman's throat.
The Cobleskill Police said they first responded to a 911 hang-up call from 113-1 Elm Street at 6:22pm. When officers arrived, the woman at the home said everything was fine. There was no sign of suspicious activity and she said she needed no further help.
Just 13 minutes later, there were two more 911 calls from the same home, police said.
The officer who took the first 911 call returned to the home and as he approached the front door, he heard no noise or signs of any distress, police said.
The officer, police said, knocked on the door and at first got no answer. As he continued to knock louder the front door of the apartment was opened and the officer was met by a man holding a knife to a woman's throat.
The man immediately demanded that the officer leave or else he would physically harm the woman, police said. The man then kicked the front door closed.
The officer maintained his position and called for additional units.
As additional units arrived on the scene, the man opened the front door and was observed still holding the woman against her will, police said. The man saw the police and he shoved the woman away from him into the hallway behind him and out of the officer's view.
The officers ordered the man to drop the weapon and to step outside, police said. The officers saw that the woman was no longer being held by the male.
Police were unable to determine if the man still had the knife and if the woman was in any further life-threatening danger, police said.
At that time, two members of the Cobleskill Police Department and one member of the State Police entered the home.
The man was confronted just inside the front door and was taken into custody by the two Cobleskill Police without incident, police said.
The woman, 42, the suspect, and police were not injured in the incident, police said.
Salvatore Fornabio, 23, of Cobleskill was arrested on charges of first-degree assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, first-degree unlawful imprisonment and second-degree menacing, police said. He was arraigned and sent to jail in lieu of $15,000 bail or $30,000 bond to return to court on February 24.
Police said there was apparently an argument between the man and woman, described as boyfriend and girlfriend, and the man was very agitated and was acting strangely.
Additional units from the State Police and Sheriff's office also responded to the scene and the Schoharie County District Attorney's office was also consulted for the incident.