Sioux Falls Man Charged with Aggravated Assault

Police say a Sioux Falls man was arrested early Thursday for an assault on his girlfriend that is classified as strangulation.

Captain Greg VandeKamp says the 23-year-old victim texted her friend, the friend called police, and officers met up with the woman before they arrived at the 5700 block of West Wren Place shortly before 3am.

VandeKamp says police learned that during the disagreement, the suspect allegedly put his hands around the woman's throat and at one point had put a pillow over her head.

He says under the new statute, restricting another person's breathing raises the offense to aggravated assault, a felony.

VandeKamp says David Alan Andrews, 22, of Sioux Falls was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

He says the recent law change makes such an assault a felony instead of a misdemeanor simple assault as it was under the old statute.