A Stewartville man accused of a two-hour assault on a woman has been charged with four felonies.
Ryan Matthew Vangness, 28, was charged Monday in Olmsted County District Court with aggravated first-degree tampering with a witness; first-degree tampering with a witness; domestic assault; and domestic assault by strangulation.
He remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bond. Vangness's next court appearance has been set for May 1.
The charges stem from an incident that was reported about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, when a woman told deputies that Vangness had come to her Eyota home about 11:35 the night before and demanded to see her cell phone.
When she refused, Vangness flipped over a coffee table, sending the woman's phone behind a couch. According to the complaint, Vangness grabbed the victim by the hair and dragged her into the bedroom, where he punched her several times with a closed fist.
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The woman told investigators Vangness allegedly slapped her face multiple times, kicked her and at least twice grabbed her throat so she couldn't breathe. When she tried to get to her phone, Vangness grabbed her and threw her to the floor, the report says.
Eventually, Vangness got to the woman's phone and look through it, then left the home — but not before telling her he'd come back and shoot her if she called law enforcement.
Deputies arrested Vangness about 6 a.m. at his home in Stewartville; according to the complaint, he admitted flipping the coffee table, but denied any sort of assault.
Vangness's criminal record reflects four prior domestic assault-related convictions, two of them felonies.
The aggravated tampering charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $30,000 fine, or both.
