Crime & Safety
UPDATE: St. Paul Man Implicated in IGH Assault Acquitted
Johnnie James Ware, 36, was acquitted Wednesday of two counts of felony domestic assault.
Update (6:10 p.m., Apr. 19, 2012) A 36-year-old St. Paul man accused last December of two felony domestic assault charges following an alleged altercation with his Inver Grove Heights girlfriend was acquitted of all charges on Apr. 18.
Johnnie James Ware was originally charged on Dec. 23 with domestic assault by strangulation and domestic assault after police say he pushed his girlfriend to the ground, choked her and covered her mouth so she could not yell for help.
A Dakota County criminal complaint also accused Ware of taking the woman's cell phone when she attempted to call a relative.
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When questioned by police on the night of the incident, Ware maintained that his girlfriend assaulted him.
As yet, no charges have been brought against the woman.
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Attempts to contact Ware for comment prior to publishing were unsuccessful.
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Original story (Jan. 6, 2012) A 36-year-old man remains in the Dakota County Jail on charges he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend in Inver Grove Heights Dec. 23.
Johnnie James Ware was charged with two felony counts—domestic assault by strangulation and domestic assault—as result of an alleged argument in the 5000 block of Audobon Avenue in the morning hours of Dec. 23.
Ware, who was arrested after police reportedly found him hiding in the trunk of his vehicle, continued to be held in jail Friday on $75,000 bail.
His omnibus hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 17 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.
According to the district court documents:
A little after 4 a.m. Dec. 23, Inver Grove Heights Police interviewed the girlfriend, who said Ware—who allegedly was intoxicated—pushed her to the ground, choked her and covered her mouth so she could not yell for help. He allegedly took her phone when she attempted to call a relative.
The girlfriend eventually freed herself and ran to a neighbor’s residence for help.
When police found Ware in the trunk, he allegedly told them that the girlfriend assaulted him and injured him. Police reportedly did not find any injuries on his neck or back.
Ware has two prior domestic violence-related convictions, according to court documents. He was convicted of domestic abuse-violation of a no-contact order in 2009 and 2010.
Domestic assault by strangulation carries a punishment of up to three years in jail and a fine of up to $5,000. The domestic assault charge is punishable of up to five years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
