ROCKLAND — A Cushing man was sentenced to three and a half years in jail for assaulting a woman and trying to strangle her in Rockland on May 8.

David Ames, 49, appeared in Knox County Unified Court August 17 before Justice Bruce Mallonee and pleaded guilty to Class A aggravated assault. 

Ames was sentenced to 10 years in jail with all but three and a half years suspended. He will also serve four years of probation after his release from jail.

According to the affidavit in court filed by Rockland Police, they responded to a residence around 3 a.m. on May 8 for a domestic disturbance. The victim told police that her boyfriend had been drinking and began yelling and spitting at her. She said he then grabbed her, squeezed her neck and banged her head on the floor.

Another person smashed a plate over Ames’ head to stop the attack, according to the affidavit.

Police noted that Ames had a lot of blood on his hooded sweatshirt along with blood running down the front and back of his head. The woman’s injuries included a broken nose, broken blood vessels in her eyes and swelling to her head.

The victim also had visible marks on her neck, consistent with strangulation, police said in the affidavit.

Both Ames and the victim were treated at Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport for their injuries. Ames was transported to the Knox County Jail after he was medically cleared at the hospital.

Ames told police he did not strangle the woman and that she sustained her injuries when he fell on top of her after he was hit over the head with a glass plate, according to the affidavit.

Related story:

http://www.penbaypilot.com/article/cushing-man-arrested-domestic-assault-charges-rockland

Reach Sarah Shepherd at news@penbaypilot.com