A Shenango Township man already facing serious charges in an attack on his ex-wife has been arrested for an earlier assault, police said.

Gregory Adams, 44, of 372 Sharon-Bedford Road, was arrested Thursday morning at Mercer County Jail, where he has been since his arrest Sept. 24, police said.

Adams was charged with aggravated and simple assault and terroristic threats for a 1 p.m. Sept. 3 incident at home.

Mala Adams refused to let Adams use her car, which brought on the assault, police said.

Adams shoved his ex-wife across the kitchen into a stand, choked her and held a knife to her throat, police said.

She escaped and started down a staircase, but he caught her, choked her and pushed her down the rest of the steps, police said.

Adams kicked the woman several times and slammed her head against a wall, police said.

During the assault, Ms. Adams pulled an alarm and police arrived, but their son, Brent, told police the alarm was an accident, apparently out of fear of his father, police said.

Adams held his hand over his ex-wife's mouth until police left, said police, who filed the case Oct. 1.

Adams faces charges of aggravated assault, robbery, reckless endangerment, theft and terroristic threats for the Sept. 22 assault, in which he pushed and hit his ex-wife, and held a steak knife to her until she surrendered the keys to her car, police said.

Adams was arraigned by District Justice Henry J. Russo, Hermitage, and returned to jail after failing to post $30,000 bond. His preliminary hearing on both cases is set for 1:30 p.m. Friday.