BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A now-former Denver Sheriff Department deputy pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge related to a domestic-violence incident this year in Broomfield.
Christopher Perez resigned from the Sheriff Department in April while he was under investigation for the Feb. 18 assault. On Thursday, Perez pleaded guilty to second-degree assault - attempted strangulation and was granted a deferred sentence.
He'll serve 18 months of supervised probation and will avoid jail time as long as he completes the conditions of that probation.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Broomfield Police Department (BPD), the victim said that Perez put both of his hands around a woman's neck and choked her to the point that she thought she was going to die.
She also reported that Perez had been messaging her and calling her throughout the evening accusing her of cheating on him, according to police.
When she returned home, she said that she and Perez began arguing and that at one point during that argument, he grabbed her by the throat and pushed her onto the couch, the affidavit says.
The attack briefly stopped when Perez spotted a child in the hallway, according to the affidavit. The victim said Perez went to the child's room and she heard him telling the child, "You didn't see anything."
The victim reported that she was trying to grab her jacket to leave when Perez grabbed her around the neck with both hands and threw her onto a bed and began choking her, the affidavit says.
She later told investigators that the pain and pressure she felt was a 10 out of 10 and that she felt herself "blacking out" as she was being choked. She also told investigators she thought she was going to die.
According to the affidavit, the victim had redness on her neck, bruising on her knuckles and scratches on her chest and arms.
Perez initially told investigators that "nothing physical" happened; however, at the detention center, he told an officer that he had scratches on his arm and chest. The scratches were "red and fresh," the affidavit says.
Perez told the officer he didn't say anything at first because he did not want to get the victim in trouble.
Conditions of Perez's probation include:
- Compliance with the mandatory protection order
- A domestic violence evaluation and compliance with any recommended treatment
- A substance abuse evaluation and compliance with any recommended treatment
- Meeting with his probation officer
- Refraining from committing any new crimes
The deferred sentence for Perez means that if he successfully completes probation his guilty plea will be withdrawn and the case will be dismissed at that time. If he fails to complete the probation, the conviction will stay on his record permanently.
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