Bloomington Man Accused of Trying to Strangle Eagan Woman

A Bloomington man has been charged with domestic assault by strangulation after authorities say he tried to strangle an Eagan woman this week.

Dimitrius Jamaal Stephens, 23, faces a felony charge of domestic assault by strangulation, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

He also faces a charge of violating a protection order and two counts of fifth-degree domestic assault, all misdemeanors with maximum penalties of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, Eagan police were called to a domestic disturbance in the 1400 block of Rahn Road on Monday afternoon. When they arrived, they learned that the suspect, Stephens, had already left; they found him at a nearby intersection and arrested him.

The victim told police that she arrived home about 20 minutes before the incident and heard a knock at the door. She checked the peephole and couldn’t see who was on the other side, but opened the door.

She said Stephens walked in and told her that they “needed to work things out.” When the victim repeatedly told Stephens – against whom she has an active protection order – to leave, he became angry and swatted a TV antenna off the top off a television with such force that it landed in the kitchen sink, the complaint says.

Stephens eventually pushed the victim into a sitting position on the couch, where he sat on top of her and tried to strangle her with his arm, the complaint says. When she bit him, he pushed her against the wall with his hand around her throat, holding her against the wall and the patio door, the complaint says.

While Stephens held the woman against the wall with one hand, he clenched his other hand into a fist and drew it back as though he was going to punch her in the face, according to the complaint. When the woman was able to get away, he pushed her into a hall closet; she fell down and he began hitting her on the forehead, the complaint says.

Stephens remains in the Dakota County Jail on a $10,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled for Oct. 3 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.