NORRISTOWN — A Chester County man will spend up to two years in prison for assaulting a Pottstown woman after meeting her on a dating app.

Miguel Angel Sanchez, 33, of the block of Dare Lane, East Coventry Township, was sentenced in Montgomery County Circuit Court to one to two years in a state correctional facility after pleading guilty to strangulation charges and indecent assault by force in connection with a June 2022 incident in the neighborhood.

Judge Thomas C. Branca also ordered Sanchez to complete two years of probation consecutive to parole, meaning Sanchez will be under court supervision for about four years.

Sanchez also faces a 15-year requirement to report his address to state police to comply with Pennsylvania’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, formerly known as Megan’s Law.

The investigation began around 1:30 p.m., June 22, 2022, when Pottstown Police responded to the 200 block of Shoemaker Road after a passerby reported witnessing a woman being possibly sexually assaulted in the back of a vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.

The witness, who was walking in a nearby parking lot, reported hearing someone yell “help me” and saw a man grab the victim and try to pull her back into a vehicle, according to court documents.

The victim told arriving officers that she was in the back seat of Sanchez’s vehicle when he began touching her, which made her uncomfortable.

“(The victim) stated that she attempted to exit the vehicle at which time the male began to pull on her wrists and neck in an attempt to pull her back into the vehicle,” Pottstown Police Corporal Todd Istenes said in the criminal complaint. “(The victim) stated that she forced open the back door of the car and was then pushed out of the vehicle by the male. (The victim) stated the man, then drove off.”

Police noticed “redness” on the victim’s neck and back, but she refused medical treatment.

The victim was able to take a photo of the license plate of the Mercedes vehicle, which was eventually linked to Sanchez.

The victim later told police she met Sanchez on the social media app Grindr and the two agreed to meet in a shopping center parking lot on Shoemaker Road. At the meeting, the victim climbed into the back seat of Sanchez’s vehicle, according to court documents.

The victim said Sanchez got into the back seat and then punched her in the face and choked her and climbed on top of her, but she was able to push him off. The victim said Sanchez seemed “crazy” and that when she tried to get out of the vehicle, Sanchez grabbed her and tried to pull her back inside, according to court documents.

Sanchez initially drove off, preventing the woman from exiting the vehicle. However, Sanchez eventually stopped the vehicle, got back into the back seat and pushed the victim out of the vehicle, causing her to hit her head on the pavement, according to the arrest affidavit.

The witness who was walking nearby came to the victim’s aid and the police were notified.

Armed with the vehicle’s license plate and photos, police developed Sanchez as a suspect in the attack. The victim was later shown a series of photos and positively identified Sanchez as the man who assaulted her, court documents state.

Other charges of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment were dismissed against Sanchez.