OCEAN CITY — A Leonardtown, Md. man was arrested on first-degree assault and other charges last weekend after allegedly choking his fiancé during a domestic incident.
Around 8:50 p.m. last Wednesday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers were dispatched to a condominium on 140th Street for a reported domestic assault that had occurred. OCPD officers met with the suspect, later identified as Christopher Ellsworth, 31, who reportedly told police he had been in an altercation involving his fiancé and her cousin.
According to police reports, Ellsworth told the officers he and his fiancé, along with her cousin, had come to his fiance’s Ocean City condo to do some interior remodeling projects. Ellsworth told police the trio went out drinking and returned to the condo, where an argument between he and his fiancé ensued. Ellsworth told police his fiancé punched him and her cousin intervened, punching him and tackling him to the floor before asking him to leave.
A witness told police the couple had been arguing in a bedroom while he was in the living room. The witness told police he intervened when it became apparent the argument had turned into a physical altercation. The witness told police he went into the room, which was somewhat dark because a lamp had been knocked over and broken. Nonetheless, the witness told police he could see Ellsworth allegedly choking the victim with at least one hand, which is when he tackled Ellsworth to the floor.
Finally, OCPD officers interviewed the female victim, who essentially corroborated her cousin’s version of the events. According to police reports, the victim was upset and crying and told officers she had been in a verbal argument with Ellsworth when he became irate and pushed her down on a bed. Each time the victim got up, Ellsworth would push her back down on the bed. According to police reports, when the victim tried to leave, Ellsworth choked her around the neck with both hands to the point she could no longer breathe.
The victim told police Ellsworth continued to choke her with both hands until her cousin entered the room and tackled Ellsworth to the ground. According to police reports, the victim told officers she did not know what would have happened if her cousin was not there. The victim reportedly had red marks on her neck and had difficulty breathing and complained of pain when she swallowed. Based on the evidence and testimony, Ellsworth was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree assault.
