OCEAN CITY — A Washington, D.C. man was arrested on first-degree assault charges last weekend after allegedly strangling his wife during a domestic incident at a midtown condominium.
Around 11:50 p.m. last Sunday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a reported 911 call hang-up in the area of 75th Street. The officers tracked the call to a condo building and were in a parking garage under the building when they reportedly heard a scream from upstairs. The officers noticed the lights were on in a unit on the second floor.
Meanwhile, the officers determined through Ocean City Communications a vehicle in the parking garage was registered to George Vaughn, 35, of Washington, D.C. Ocean City Communications also confirmed the phone number of the 911 call was associated with Vaughn. Officers continued to try to make contact with the occupants of the unit when they observed a male suspect, later identified as Vaughn, crawling on the floor near the bed.
The officers announced themselves as police and ordered Vaughn to answer the door so they could check on his welfare. Vaughn ultimately exited the unit shirtless carrying a white tank top with appeared to be blood on it, according to police reports. Vaughn was detained at that point.
The officers also encountered a female at the front door with a fresh, red injury on her neck consistent with being strangled, according to police reports. The victim also reportedly had a bleeding laceration on her forehead about one inch in length.
The victim reportedly told police Vaughn was her husband and they owned the unit. When told Vaughn was being detained for suspected assault, the victim reportedly told police she did not wish to press charges.
When Vaughn was interviewed, he reportedly told police he had been sleeping on the couch when the officers arrived. Vaughn reportedly told police the blood stains on the tank top were the result of him working construction. When asked about the incident, Vaughn reportedly told the officers, “You guys might as well take me away.”
When interviewed, the victim reportedly told police she and Vaughn had been drinking all day. She reportedly told police Vaughn had strangled her for a brief time but that she never lost consciousness. The victim reportedly told the officers after the assault, she locked herself in the bathroom until police arrived.
