Jul. 3—An Owatonna man has been charged with domestic assault following an altercation Wednesday afternoon in Austin.
Joshua Scott Sexter, 23, was charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation and gross misdemeanor domestic assault in Mower County District Court Thursday.
According to the court complaint, Sexter allegedly assaulted a woman he is in a relationship with and that during the altercation allegedly choked her twice from behind.
Both times she was able to escape by pinching his arm.
The complaint states that Austin Police Department officers were dispatched to the incident at just before 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2. When officers talked with the victim, she stated that she and Sexter started arguing around 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon before Sexter left the house, picking up again after he returned back to the residence.
One of the officers observed a small scratch just below the chin of the victim with some redness on the left side of her neck. There was also a scratch on her left cheek, just above her mouth and another on her nose.
When he was questioned, Sexter denied the assault and noted that tensions were high due to money issues, however, he also said “there was an altercation and the kid was crying.”
Sexter is slated for an initial appearance on July 17.