A Roaring Spring woman has been charged with shooting her husband after a lengthy investigation into the January 2021 incident in Newry.

Santana Elaine Laret, 37, was arraigned Tuesday morning before Magisterial District Judge Paula M. Aigner on felony charges of aggravated assault-causes injury with extreme indifference, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft and escape, along with misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and obstruction of justice.

She was released on $100,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 22 before Aigner.

The charges stem from a Jan. 31, 2021, incident in which Laret is accused of shooting her husband.

Court documents state Freedom Township police were dispatched at 10:31 p.m. to 709 Shamrock Lane, Newry, after Laret called 911 to report her husband was beating her. She then hung up the phone, but called back to tell dispatch that her husband was strangling her and she shot him.

When police arrived on scene, Laret was outside holding a pistol and was taken into custody. No one else was found at the scene, but while officers were securing the residence, Conemaugh Nason Medical Center contacted Blair County 911 to report Laret’s husband was in the ER with a gunshot wound. Police reported he was treated at Conemaugh Nason and Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown for a single gunshot wound that entered his stomach area and impacted his pelvic bone.

During an interview with police, Laret said her husband was assaulting her and she shot him while on the floor.

The husband denied choking Laret and said the two were arguing after he said he wanted a divorce. He told police she took his SIM card from his phone, took his phone and his credit cards and he was forced to place her in a bear hug to get his credit cards back. He told police Laret got into the closet, handed him a small container and reached back inside for the gun before shooting him in the stomach.

Laret said he ran outside and he went outside yelling for help before getting into his rental car and driving himself to the hospital.

During the investigation, police secured search warrants for the residence and sent clothing and other items to the police laboratory in Greensburg for testing.

In court documents, police said Laret’s accounting of the shooting wasn’t consistent with the evidence as she stated the victim was on top of her when she pulled the trigger. The victim’s account of the incident, however, that Laret was standing when she shot him, was consistent with the downward trajectory of the bullet, police stated.

On Aug. 25, 2022, police received a lab report on the Jimenez firearm allegedly used in the shooting. Various shock and drop tests failed to cause the gun to accidentally discharge, court documents state.

After receiving that report, police sought an arrest warrant for Laret.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Laret faces the escape charge because while handcuffed and secured in the back of a police cruiser, she managed to climb through the center cage divider of the car and grabbed the steering wheel to pull herself into the driver’s seat.