Man Charged with Choking, Injuring Golden Valley Woman

A Minneapolis man has been charged with domestic assault after police say he choked a Golden Valley woman and put her in a headlock.

Brent Joseph Dickinson, 28, is charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, compiled by Golden Valley Police Officer Ryan Matthew, police were called to a home in the 9300 block of Golden Valley Road on March 19 on a report of a domestic assault.

When they arrived, a woman who lives at the address told police that she and Dickinson had been arguing when Dickinson grabbed her by the neck with both hands and began to choke her.

When the woman began to fight back, Dickinson spun her around, put her in a headlock, swept her feet out from under her and knocked her to the ground, where he continued to choke her, according to Matthew’s account.

The woman told police that she had trouble breathing during the incident. Police saw a red mark on the victim’s neck that appeared to be a broken blood vessel, according to the complaint.

Police went to a different address to look for Dickinson. While they were outside the house, they saw Dickinson drive up in a car; when he saw police, he appeared to “deliberately avoid officers by changing directions,” according to the complaint.

Dickinson was subsequently located and arrested.

Dickinson is free on a $20,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled April 23 in Hennepin County District Court.