A Laramie man accused of strangling his wife denied the charges Tuesday in Albany County District Court.

Manuel Anchondo, 35, pled not guilty to one count of strangulation of a household member. If convicted, he faces up to 5 years in prison.

According to court documents, Laramie Police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance. The caller told police a male subject was beating a vehicle with what looked like a golf club. When the officer arrived at the residence, he noticed a blue Scion vehicle with several windows broken. The windshield also had four holes punched in it. The Scion appeared to have been deliberately driven into a Dodge pickup truck that was also in the driveway.

An officer interviewed the victim, who told him that she did not know how the Scion had been damaged. She would not speak with deputies about what had happened. The officer noticed an oblong red colored bruise on the left side of the victim’s neck, court documents state.  Medical crew said the bruise had ligature marks and one resembled a thumb print, which was consistent with being strangled, court documents state.

Officers spoke to Anchondo, who said he was drinking beer with his wife when she mentioned that another man was attractive. He said he was upset and went outside, which was when he noticed his wife had driven her Scion into his work truck. He said he became very upset and began hitting the windows with a tire iron. He said that he did not hit the vehicle while his wife was inside and he and his wife did not hit one another, according to the affidavit.

A witness told officers she was driving when she saw a male pick up what she thought was a golf club and start beating the car with it while a female was inside. The witness said she rolled down her window and asked them if they needed help and they said no. The witness drove down a little further and parked on a corner to watch from a distance. She said she saw the individuals physically attacking one another. One of them fell to the ground, she said, and then a third individual joined the fight, court documents state.

Anchondo is currently out on a $20,000 bond. His trial is set for Nov 1 through Nov 2.

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