A Thief River Falls man was sentenced Friday, Dec. 23 in Pennington County District Court for strangling his girlfriend to the point that she lost consciousness.
Matthew James Brang, 26, was sentenced for a felony charge of domestic assault by strangulation. A felony charge of kidnapping and a gross misdemeanor charge of interference with a 911 call were dismissed.
For the strangulation charge, Brang was sentenced to 27 months in prison. He was ordered to comply with a Domestic Abuse – No Contact Order. Brang was ordered to register as a predatory offender. He was ordered to not use or possess firearms, ammunition, or explosives for the remainder of his life unless his civil rights are restored. Brang was ordered to supply a DNA sample. He was also ordered to pay $210 in fees and fines.
The charges stemmed from a report to the police at 9:11 p.m. on July 11, according to the complaint and police report. A woman reported her sister was hiding from Brang in a garage at Rivers Bend Apartments, 100 Barnick Rd.
The woman said Brang had just choked her sister, who was Brang’s girlfriend. A police sergeant, a police officer, and two sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene. Around the time the first officer arrived, the woman got out of the car and ran toward him as fast as she could. She ran toward a fence, but Brang chased and grabbed her. “He put his hand over her mouth, so she couldn’t yell for the police and pinned her against the fence.” A Walmart employee, who happened to be on break at the time, witnessed Brang chasing the woman.
Upon arriving, the police officer observed Brang standing over the woman, “who was laying on the ground with her hands over her head trying to protect herself.” After seeing the officer, Brang walked away from her. When the officer said he wanted to speak with Brang, Brang repeatedly said he “didn’t do anything.” He said the couple had been arguing in their apartment, possibly about money. Brang said he grabbed a blanket and the woman “freaked out” because a dress strap was pulled off of her. Brang said he never hit the woman, but the couple may have been wrestling. When asked what he meant, Brang said he didn’t remember.
He eventually admitted to preventing the woman from leaving a room multiple times. Brang said he choked her because she had been swinging at him. During his conversation with Brang, the officer noted that Brang was sweating profusely despite the cool temperatures. The woman told the police sergeant that, while driving back from the casino, the couple argued about Brang taking $100 from the woman and lying about it. Upon returning home, they continued to argue. She told him to be quiet since he was yelling and screaming in the apartment.
After she told him to leave her alone and attempted to walk away, Brang grabbed her dress and ripped it. She walked away, but he grabbed her, held her down on a bed, punched the bed, and called her names. The woman was able to get up; however, he believed she was reaching for her phone and pulled her arms. At some point, the woman was able to get up. “Brang thought she was reaching for her phone, so he pulled her arms and threatened to break her arms if she went for the phone again because he didn’t want her to call law enforcement.” Brang then threw the woman in various locations of the apartment, including throwing her into a bathroom, onto a couch, and onto a floor. He also dragged her by her shoulders and arms. The woman said he continuously struck her arms. He also slapped her back and arms and pulled her hair.
Brang threatened to break her hands and “told her that she couldn’t have her glasses or phone because she didn’t deserve them.” When the woman tried walking away again, Brang grabbed her from behind and began choking her to the point that she was lifted off of the ground and lost consciousness. Once she regained consciousness, the woman found she was laying on the floor. Brang had moved the woman’s head toward a mirror, telling her to look at herself and telling her she looked disgusting. The woman later convinced Brang to go back to the car. They sat in the car, where the woman texted her sister for help. Brang allegedly accused her of sending a text message, but the woman denied sending a text and deleted it in order for him not to realize she had, in fact, texted her sister. He wanted the two of them to go back to their apartment, asking her what she would do for him once they returned. The first officer arrived around that time.
