STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. – A teenager has been arrested after deputies say he choked a woman in front of several children during a domestic dispute in Stafford County.
The incident happened Sunday, May 20, at a home in the area of Woodstream Boulevard.
Deputies say at approximately 9:33 p.m., they responded to a domestic violence call after a witness reported that a man and woman were fighting in the middle of the street in front of several children.
The victim told deputies that she and the suspect, identified as 18-year-old Devaughan Marquelle Elder, got into a verbal argument and he asked her to leave.
Devaughan Marquelle Elder
The woman says she left the home and got into a vehicle with her children. That’s when Elder is accused of following the woman outside and ripping the rearview mirror off the windshield.
As the victim attempted to call 911, Elder is accused of snatching away her cell phone and throwing it to the ground.
Elder then choked the woman to the point she could no longer breathe, according to deputies.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they set a perimeter to locate Elder, who fled from the scene after the alleged attack.
The female victim, who had “substantial bruising with visible fingerprint marks around her neck and forearms,” was examined by rescue personnel.
After locating and taking Elder into custody, the suspect saw the victim and shouted obscenities at her, according to deputies.
Elder has been charged with assault and battery, strangulation, disorderly conduct, and unlawfully keeping another from calling 911.
At the Magistrate’s Office, Elder admitted to all of the charges, according to deputies.
He is being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail.
