A Fayetteville man was released from jail on bond Friday after police say he drunkenly choked his wife while the couple’s children slept nearby.
Ryan McCleary, 34, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of aggravated assault. He was released from the Washington County Detention Center on $5,000 bond.
The wife told police McCleary hit her in the head while she was looking at Facebook on her phone. She fled to the couple’s bedroom, but McCleary kicked open the door and choked her on their bed until she could no longer breathe, the woman told police.
The wife was able to get away, woke up the couple’s children, and called police from one of the bedrooms, according to a preliminary report from the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office.
McCleary told officers responding to the scene that his wife had pushed him, and they had not fought. Police said he admitted to drinking that night. Police took photographs of the woman’s injuries, the report states.
McCleary has a criminal history that includes an accused robbery and two counts of burglary in 1996. He has also faced charges of possession of a controlled substance, obstructing government operations and jumping bond.
