A man happened to see his girlfriend’s vehicle parked at a home on Wooden Shoe Lane in Manhattan and went to the door, knocked and called her name, whereupon another man opened the door and beat him up, a sheriff’s deputy alleged.
“After the door opened, the Victim was struck in the face by the Defendant, knocking him backward,” reads a complaint a sheriff’s deputy filed in Gallatin County Justice Court. “The Defendant then exited the residence and continued to assault the Victim. The Victim stated he was assaulted by punches and kicks from the Defendant for approximately three minutes before he was able to leave the area.”
The man who claimed to have been beaten up had severe bruising around his right eye in addition to bruising to his chest, according to the deputy’s complaint.
The deputy met with the accused, a probationer who allegedly claimed the other man had opened his front door and took a step into the home. The probationer admitted to have “throttled” the other man at that point, according to the complaint.
“I re-contacted the Victim by phone, who stated he never opened the Defendant’s door or attempted to,” the deputy wrote. “Based on the totality of the circumstances, probable cause existed to charge the Defendant with a violation of MCA 45-5-201, Assault, for purposely or knowingly causing bodily injury to the Victim.”
The deputy arrested the probationer and accused him of misdemeanor assault and of violating probation. The report didn’t state what the man was on probation for.