An Edinburgh man was arrested after a relative told police he put his hands around her neck, making it hard for her to breathe.
William H. Burt, 44, 405 Franklin St., was arrested on charges of domestic battery and strangulation.
A woman called police about 8:30 p.m. Thursday to report that her relative was being battered. The caller believed that Burt would kill the woman victim if she reported it, according to a report from the Edinburgh Police Department.
The victim had multiple dark bruises on her arm and redness on her neck. Initially, she refused to tell police what happened, the report said.
She then told police that Burt was making dinner when she began to spray the counters. Burt became upset thinking the woman had sprayed chemicals in the food, the report said.
Burt grabbed the woman, pushed her on the couch and put his hands around her neck. The woman said she couldn’t breathe when Burt had his hands on her neck, according to the report.
While strangulation means the act of killing by squeezing the throat, Indiana law defines it as intentionally applying pressure to another person’s throat or obstructing his or her nose or mouth.
The woman told police Burt had battered her before and showed the officer bruises in various stages of healing. She denied medical attention and said she wouldn’t cooperate if Burt was being charged because Burt would kill her in retaliation, the report said.
He was arrested and taken to the Johnson County Jail, where he was held on $2,200 bond.
