CAMDEN, Maine — A Camden man is being held without bail after police say he constricted a woman’s neck and threatened to stab and slice her with a knife.
Bronson R. Simmons, 27, was arrested Thursday by Camden police. The district attorney’s office filed criminal complaints Friday in Knox County Unified Court charging Simmons with Class A aggravated assault, domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence reckless conduct and obstructing the report of a crime.
The aggravated assault charge was elevated to a Class A offense, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, because Simmons has two prior domestic violence assault convictions, Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Baroody said. Those convictions came in 2010 and 2014.
According to an affidavit filed in court by Detective Curt Andrick, the woman came to the station Thursday afternoon to report that she had been assaulted the previous night. The woman told police that she and Simmons had gotten into an argument and that he held her down on the bed and constricted her breathing by placing his hands around her neck for one to two minutes.
He then pushed her around the bedroom for another 10 to 15 minutes, she said. She eventually went into the kitchen, where Simmons reportedly grabbed a knife and pushed her against the counter and said he would stab her and slice her.
A neighbor who heard the commotion called 911 Wednesday night and police went to the home, but the victim put on a sweatshirt to cover the marks on her neck and told officers that it was simply an argument.
She told police the next day, however, that she had been afraid to report anything in front of Simmons the previous night.
Simmons denied the allegations when police interviewed him on Thursday. He was arrested and taken to the Knox County Jail in Rockland. He made his initial appearance in court on Friday afternoon and is being held without bail for allegedly violating probation.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.