OCEAN CITY – A Virginia man was arrested on first-degree assault and other charges last weekend after allegedly striking and choking his girlfriend at a downtown hotel after they had gotten separated at Sunfest.
Around 7:10 p.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to a hotel at 26th Street for a reported domestic assault. Officers met with a female victim, who reported she had been in a physical altercation with her boyfriend, later identified as Troy Froemming, 51, of Alexandria, Va., according to police reports.
The victim reportedly told police the incident had initially started as a verbal altercation. She told officers she and Froemming had gone to Sunfest together earlier in the day and had gotten separated from each other, according to police reports.
The victim reportedly told officers the couple had driven to Sunfest in her vehicle, and when they got separated, Froemming had driven the vehicle back to their hotel room. The victim told police Froemming had her cell phone and her car keys, so when she could not locate him, she made the decision to walk back to their hotel at 26th Street, according to police reports.
The victim told officers when she returned to their hotel room, Froemming was already there and had been waiting for her for two hours, according to police reports. The victim told police Froemming was agitated he had been waiting for two hours and began throwing her around the room.
The victim reportedly told police she lost her balance and fell to the floor, and Froemming got on top of her and began striking her in the face with a closed fist. The victim advised Froemming had struck her in the face at least four times with a closed fist. Officers observed the victim had lacerations on her top and bottom lips, which appeared to be swollen, according to police reports.
The victim told police when Froemming stopped punching her, he put both of his hands around her throat and began choking her, according to police reports.
The victim said in response she began striking Froemming in the face as he continued to choke her. The victim told police she was gasping for air and began seeing stars and had blackness going in and out while Froemming was choking her, according to police reports.
The victim told police Froemming eventually loosened his grip and she was able to get away from him. She reportedly ran downstairs to the front desk and advised staffers to call 911, according to police reports. When questioned, Froemming corroborated the victim’s version about how they got separated at Sunfest.
However, Froemming told officers when he returned to the hotel, the victim confronted him in a stairwell and struck him in the face. Froemming also told officers he did try to push the victim away, but at no point did they end up on the ground. Froemming told officer at one point during the altercation, the victim had bitten his pinky finger and he had blood around the nail of that finger, according to police report.
Based on the investigation, the officer concluded both parties had visible signs of injuries on their persons. The victim had lacerations on her lips and red marks around her throat consistent with choking and strangulation. The officer concluded Froemming had been the primary aggressor and he was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree assault.
