Cops: Man tried to strangle girlfriend during argument

A 19-year-old is charged with trying to strangle his girlfriend during an argument Friday afternoon at her home in the Southport section of town.

Devin P. Fennell, 19, of Main Street, Stratford, was charged with second-degree strangulation, second-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint, disorderly conduct, threatening and interfering with an emergency call.

Police received a call around 4:20 p.m. that a woman holding a knife was in the road on John Street, while a young man -- later identified as Fennell -- was "being aggressive."

Fennell was gone when officers arrived on the scene. The girlfriend, however, was distraught, and had injuries on her neck and arm, according to the report. She told police that Fennell hit her, threw her on the ground and choked her to the point she could not breathe and took away her phone when she attempted to call police.

Police located Fennell in Bridgeport a short while later and he was taken into custody.

He was held on a $25,000 and was scheduled to have appeared Monday in Bridgeport Superior Court.