Deputies say a heated argument between a man and woman ended in an arrest after the man admitted to putting his hands around her neck.
When officers arrived, they could hear yelling coming from outside an apartment complex. A woman was standing in the grass, while a man — later identified as Eric Downing — sat in a chair by the front door. Both immediately began shouting over one another as deputies tried to sort out what happened.
Downing told deputies the argument started over missing belongings. He admitted to putting his hands around the woman’s throat but claimed he quickly realized what he was doing and backed off before hurting her. He said she scratched him afterward but insisted it wasn’t in self-defense, pointing to marks on his face, neck, and stomach.
The woman told deputies a different story. She said she confronted Downing after catching him cheating. According to her, he grabbed her by the throat with both hands and applied pressure until she began scratching and hitting him to make him stop. Deputies noted she had redness on her neck, though some of it could have been a birthmark.
The incident happened in Proctorville, and after reviewing both statements, deputies determined Downing to be the primary aggressor since he admitted to placing his hands on the woman’s neck. He was arrested and taken to the Lawrence County Jail on charges of domestic violence and strangulation.
Court records show Downing has entered a not guilty plea in Lawrence County Municipal Court. He is scheduled to return for a pre-trial hearing on October 27.
Domestic disputes can quickly escalate into violence. Even if someone claims they “stopped themselves,” putting hands around another person’s neck is taken extremely seriously by both law enforcement and courts. Strangulation is considered one of the most dangerous forms of domestic violence.
