A Harrison man who was charged with beating a woman nearly to death told investigators he got so drunk on New Year’s Eve that he couldn’t recall the incident, police said.
Michael Adam Comley, 43, of the 1100 block of Gordon Street was charged with felony counts of criminal attempted homicide and aggravated assault along with simple assault and reckless endangerment.
Comley is being detained in the Allegheny County Jail after a judge denied bail during his arraignment because he is considered a danger to the community, according to court records.
Comley faces a preliminary hearing Jan. 18 before District Judge Carolyn Saldari Bengel.
Harrison police asked Allegheny County Police to assist with the case after an officer who responded to the house shortly after 2 p.m. Jan. 1 found the woman suffering from severe head and facial injuries, according to a criminal complaint.
She was transported by ambulance to a Pittsburgh hospital, police said.
The woman was found by a church pastor after Comley called him and asked that he check on the woman, the complaint said.
During a second call to the pastor, Comley said he “doesn’t know why he hurts people” and said he planned to “end it,” investigators said.
Police said they called Comley while he was driving on Interstate 70, and he told them he was armed with a handgun.
About an hour later, Comley’s car was stopped by a state trooper, and Comley was transported to Allegheny County Police headquarters for questioning, the complaint said.
A detective who spoke to the woman at the hospital said she suffered a fractured shoulder blade and multiple facial fractures, including the bones around her eyes. She also suffered a brain bleed and neck contusions, police said.
When county detectives interviewed Comley, he told them he attended a New Year’s Eve party with the woman from about 6:30 p.m. until after midnight but did not remember anything “after seeing the ball drop,” the complaint said.
He told police he awoke the next morning to find the woman beaten, telling them he must have been responsible for the assault because he was the only person with her, according to his arrest papers.
