Police arrested a 38-year-old New Canaan man before dawn Sunday and charged him with third-degree strangulation, risk of injury to a child, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
At about 2:05 a.m. on March 22, officers were dispatched to a Forest Street home on a report of a domestic dispute between two occupants, police said.
Following an investigation, police brought the felony and misdemeanor charges.
Third-degree strangulation is classified as a misdemeanor. Under state law, it happens when someone “recklessly restrains another person by the neck or throat or obstructs such other person’s nose or mouth and impedes the ability of such other person to breathe or restricts blood circulation of such other person.” More serious strangulation charges are brought in cases where an individual intends to suffocate another person or causes serious injury in doing so.
It isn’t clear what the dispute involved, how it escalated, how the arrested man is related to the victim or victims, why the risk of injury charge was brought or how extensive injuries were. Police withheld details, saying it was a domestic matter.
The man was held on $25,000 bond and scheduled to appear Monday in state Superior Court in Norwalk.
The Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Stamford provides services, support and education for the prevention and elimination of domestic violence. Its 24-hour hotline is 203-588-9096. Espanol: 203-663-6641. National: 888-724-2900.