Sheboygan Press staff
A 21-year-old Cascade man accused of hanging a dog to death on a park swing is facing new charges after police say he repeatedly choked his girlfriend.
James M. DeGroff, of 101 North Ave., was charged Thursday with felony strangulation or suffocation and two counts of felony bail jumping. He had been free on a $5,000 cash bond in the dog hanging case.
The new charges — which carry a maximum penalty of nine years in prison — allege DeGroff attacked his 23-year-old girlfriend after she confronted him for kissing another girl at a bar. The incident occurred late Tuesday night.
The girlfriend told police DeGroff consumed beer and several shots while at a bar with her in Plymouth. While they were leaving she saw him kiss another woman.
She confronted DeGroff when they got back to her house in Plymouth, and when she touched his shoulder to get his attention he grabbed her neck with one hand and squeezed for 10 to 15 seconds before letting go, the complaint said. DeGroff then stood up and grabbed her neck again for 10 to 15 seconds.
When the girl went outside to get away, DeGroff followed her and again grabbed her neck and choked her. DeGroff then told the woman he loved her, went inside, threw up and went to sleep.
A neighbor told police he saw DeGroff choking the woman on the ground, and a snowbank next to the girlfriend’s house had an impression the size of a body. The complaint said the woman had deep red bruises on the side of her neck when she reported the crime Wednesday afternoon.
When questioned by police, DeGroff said he didn’t know anything about the choking but admitted drinking beer and doing shots. Asked if he drank enough to not remember what he did, DeGroff said, “I am assuming it’s me, that’s why I’m sitting here. … Let’s get this over with and take me to jail.”
DeGroff is charged with two counts of bail jumping for violation provisions of bond that prohibit committing additional crimes and consuming alcohol.
He is scheduled for a jury trial in April in the prior case alleging that he hung a dog on a Cascade park swing in November 2008. He is charged with felony mistreatment of animals causing death.
The complaint in that case says DeGroff abducted the dog — a mixed breed named Smoky — about 2 a.m. Nov. 4 when its owner let the dog out of his home. The owner’s tires were slashed the same night, and the complaint alleges DeGroff committed the crime because he was upset his ex-girlfriend was spending time at the dog’s owner’s house.
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