Man Choked, Punched Woman After Dispute: Hamden Police

HAMDEN, CT — A Hamden man is accused of punching and choking the mother of his 1-month-old child after an argument turned physical last month in Hamden, according to police. Hamden Police responded to a report of a domestic dispute, involving violence, on Nov. 11, according to Capt. Ronald Smith.

Smith said investigation revealed that Patrick Whitfield was involved in a verbal dispute with the mother of his 1 month-old child.

“The dispute escalated into a physical confrontation, when Whitfield punched the victim in the head several times and then ‘choked’ her, obstructing her airway,” Smith wrote in a press release. “Whitfield ‘dragged’ the victim, before taking her cellphone. He then threw an object at her, nearly striking the infant. He fled from the residence prior to the arrival of Hamden Police. The victim suffered neck and facial injuries.”

Officer Derick Manning conducted the investigation that led to an arrest warrant for Whitfield. Hamden Police arrested Whitfield on Dec. 3, after he had been taken into custody by the East Haven Police Department.

Whitfield, 24, of Choate Avenue in Hamden, was charged with second-degree strangulation, third-degree assault, risk of injury to a minor, violation of a protective order and disorderly conduct. Whitfield, who was detained on a $2,500 bond, was scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Dec. 4.

Whitfield was also arrested on the strength of four arrest warrants, according to Smith. He was additionally charged with two counts of first-degree failure to appear and two counts of second-degree failure to appear. The bonds totaled $40,000.

Pictured: Patrick Whitfield, 24, of Hamden / via the Hamden Police Department

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