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Minot woman charged with strangling wife during argument

A 23-year-old Minot woman is charged with strangling her wife during an argument on Sunday night.

Kelsey Rae Mildred Johnson is charged with aggravated assault-domestic violence, a Class C felony. She was scheduled to make an initial appearance in district court in Minot on Thursday.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed with the court, Johnson’s 35-year-old wife walked into the police department on Wednesday night and reported the assault. Three days after the incident, Johnson’s wife had a bruise and marks on her neck, as well as bruises on her forearm. The woman visited her doctor on Monday and still had neck pain on Wednesday. A witness told police that Johnson was drunk during the incident.

A friend in the residence who witnessed the incident said that she saw Johnson push her wife to the ground and the woman fall into the dryer. The witness later saw Johnson’s wife get up and go back into her bedroom and Johnson jump on top of her. She heard Johnson’s wife tell her multiple times to stop it and leave her alone. Johnson later passed out. Johnson’s wife asked her to pack and leave the next morning and then her friend took her to a clinic to be treated.

Johnson admitted getting into a fight with her wife, but denied strangling her, according to the affidavit.

The argument started after Johnson became agitated when her wife was comforting a female friend, according to an affidavit.

If convicted, Johnson could face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The couple were married a month ago, according to court records.

– Andrea Johnson

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