A 35-year-old Brooklyn Park man faces felony domestic charges following a Sunday incident in Bay Lake Township.
James Willie Hill Jr., made his first appearance Tuesday in Crow Wing County District Court in Brainerd where he was charged with felony third-degree assault to cause substantial bodily harm and domestic assault by strangulation and gross misdemeanor domestic assault, interrupting an emergency phone call and endangering a child.
According to the probable cause court document filed against Hill, the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office was dispatched at 5:59 p.m. Sunday to a residence in Bay Lake Township regarding a physical domestic. At the time the victim reported Hill strangled her to the point she lost consciousness.
A sergeant asked Hill what happened and he stated he and the victim were in an argument at a cabin that led to them pushing one another. Hill stated there was no other physical fighting between the two of them beyond the pushing. Hill and the victim were known to each other.
A deputy obtained a taped statement from the victim who stated she and Hill were talking and it grew into an argument, at which time she threatened to call 911.
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She dialed 922 in an attempt to make Hill believe she was calling 911. She stated at this point Hill reached over her, unplugged the phone, grabbed her by the throat and lifted her out of the chair. The victim stated she believed she passed out and when she awoke she was on the ground and she was dazed. She then ran out of the residence and stated she was going to call 911 at a neighbor's residence. Hill followed her out and she ran back into the cabin. She stated she remembers Hill was strangling her, she could not breathe and was fearful, the complaint stated.
A deputy also obtained a taped statement from the victim's 11-year-old daughter, who was present during the domestic assault. The daughter stated she heard her mother and Hill arguing and observed Hill grab her mother by the neck and watched him trip her making her fall backward. The daughter stated Hill was still on top of her mother choking her, the complaint stated. The daughter stated she began yelling at Hill to let go. She said she watched her mother go unconscious and Hill get up off her. The daughter stated her mother was unconscious for 10 seconds and then she came to. The daughter stated she thought her mother was dead. The daughter stated she then got in between Hill and her mother and continued to tell Hill to leave her alone.
Hill has a criminal history and was convicted in Hennepin County of gross misdemeanor domestic assault in 2015.
