A Farmington man was arrested Saturday on charges of assaulting a woman and smashing her cellphone.

Kenneth W. Imlay Jr., 36, was arrested on charges of obstructing the report of a crime and aggravated domestic violence assault.

Farmington Police Secretary Rachel Heseltine said police received a report of a domestic violence assault at 1:48 a.m. at Sandy River Terrace. Officers Ryan Rosie and Derek MacDonald reported Imlay had strangled a woman, resulting in the class B charge of aggravated domestic violence assault.

Heseltine said Farmington police have previously responded to reports of domestic violence assaults involving Imlay.

Strangulation — cutting off breath or bloodflow — was added to the specific language of Maine’s aggravated assault law in 2012, and the number of defendants charged by prosecutors citing that section of the law has since jumped from 29 in 2011 to 170 in 2013, according to a Portland Press Herald analysis.

A domestic violence victim advocate told the Press Herald that part of the reason for advocating for the language change was because strangling a victim is part of a pattern of escalating violence.

As of Monday afternoon, Imlay remained at the Franklin County jail with bail set at $2,000 cash or $215 cash with a Maine Pretrial Services contract.

Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252

kschroeder@centralmaine.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.