Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Police arrested a Jonesboro man after they said he choked his girlfriend until she blacked out during a domestic disturbance at her home.

According to a probable cause affidavit, on May 26, Jonesboro police officers responded to a home on Crestfield Drive for a victim having difficulty breathing after a domestic disturbance.

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When officers arrived at the home, emergency medical services were treating the victim. EMS informed the officers that the victim could not speak and she was being taken to a hospital to ensure her trachea was not fractured.

Other subjects at the scene told officers that the victim’s boyfriend, 50-year-old Michael Lionel Smith, had thrown her from her chair. Smith then put all his weight through his arms and pressed into the victim’s throat.

Officers later met with the victim. They noted her voice was strained due to swelling in her neck, with bruising already visible.

She explained that she was on her laptop, working from home, on the morning of the incident. While on a work call, Smith threw her out of her chair. The victim ran toward the bed to try to get away, but Smith threw her on the bed and put his hands around her neck and choked her, causing her to black out.

Once the victim revived, she said she attempted to roll over and get away, but Smith jumped on her back and began choking her again with his arm wrapped around her neck. She began to pass out for a second time, but Smith stopped before she once again passed out. The victim was able to run to a neighbor’s home to call for help.

Police said Smith was contacted by phone and agreed to turn himself in. He was booked into the Craighead County Detention Center at 9:11 a.m. on June 1.

Smith appeared before District Judge David Boling two hours later. He found probable cause to charge Smith with a Class D felony: Aggravated assault on family or household member. He was released at 1:20 p.m. on a $50,000 cash/surety bond. Additionally, he was ordered to have no contact with the victim

Smith’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 30. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

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