Esteven Roger Schmerber

WARSAW — An Elkhart man was arrested after strangling a woman.

Esteven Roger Schmerber, 25, 2130 Martin Ave., Elkhart, is being charged with strangulation, a level 6 felony; domestic battery with a child under 16 present, a level 6 felony; domestic battery, a class A misdemeanor; and interference with the reporting of a crime, a class A misdemeanor.

On April 5, an officer with the Warsaw Police Department responded to a domestic abuse complaint at a residence. The officer received information that a male subject left the scene in a vehicle after choking a female and breaking a window out of her vehicle.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the officer located the suspect vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The driver, identified as Schmerber, stated there was no physical contact between him and the female. He admitted to breaking a window out of the female’s vehicle.

The female told the officer that Schmerber walked into her newly purchased home unannounced and uninvited and became angry during an argument. As they walked outside, Schmerber threw a wooden cabinet at the female’s vehicle, breaking the windshield.

Schmerber then followed the female back into her residence and grabbed her by the throat. The officer observed red marks on both sides of the female’s neck. The female attempted to call 911 during the altercation when Schmerber took her phone from her, threw it on the road and said she was not going to call 911.

Three minors were present in the residence during the physical altercation.

Schmerber has already been arrested and released on his own recognizance. He has an initial hearing set for 1 p.m. May 13, in Kosciusko County Superior II Court.