Police: Man choked pregnant woman

A Greenwood man was arrested after police said he choked a pregnant woman Monday evening.

Derek J. Pendley, 31, was arrested on charges of domestic battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant female and strangulation.

While strangulation means the act of killing by squeezing the throat, Indiana law defines it as intentionally applying pressure to another person’s throat.

A woman, who told police she was eight months pregnant, said she had been taking a bath when Pendley entered the room and bumped her hand, causing her phone to fall into the water. They argued and the woman told police that Pendley choked her to the point of nearly passing out, a Greenwood Police Department report said.

After Pendley let her go, the woman walked to a nearby fire station, the report said.

Pendley told officers that the woman had scratched him and that he had shoved her down to protect himself, the report said.

The woman had swelling under her jaw, scratches on her face and bruising under her chin, the report said.

Pendley, 1059 Kings Mills Road, was arrested and taken to the Johnson County jail, where he was released on $6,600 bond.