BUCKHANNON – An Upshur County man who allegedly strangled someone until they lost consciousness in downtown Buckhannon last fall was arrested over the weekend.

Brock A. Hyre, 30, of Buckhannon, was arrested Saturday, June 5 for strangulation, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by Sgt. Darin Hissam with the Buckhannon Police Department, Hyre was arrested in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred in October 2020.

Hissam’s report says that on Oct. 17, 2020, Hyre allegedly attacked the male victim in a parking lot near North Spring Street, initially shoving the victim up against a brick wall, which caused him to hit his head on the wall and fall to the ground.

“[Hyre] then wrapped his arms around the neck of the victim, in a headlock fashion, and began pulling upwards on the victim’s neck, restricting the victim’s airflow and causing him to black out briefly and lose consciousness,” the file says.

Hyre then allegedly kicked the victim in the head, grabbed his car keys and reportedly tossed them across the parking lot before fleeing, according to the report.

The victim complained of pain in his chest and a headache, and he had scratches on his throat, a scratch on his ear, dried blood in his nostrils and scrapes on both arms, according to the report. Upshur EMS responded to the scene, but the victim refused transport to the hospital, the file says.

Upshur County Magistrate Mark Davis set bail at $10,000 cash only, and as of Monday evening, Hyre was no longer listed on the West Virginia Regional Jail Authority website.

The penalty for a conviction of strangulation is a fine of up to $2,500, imprisonment in the state penitentiary for one to five years or both.