French Creek man arrested for allegedly strangling former spouse

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BUCKHANNON – An Upshur County man was arrested Thursday on a probable cause warrant after he allegedly attempted to strangle his former spouse in January.

William T. Wolfe, 38, of French Creek, was arrested Feb. 10, 2022, for strangulation and third-offense domestic battery, both felonies, in connection to a domestic incident that reportedly occurred Jan. 24, 2022.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office by Patrolman Jacob Garrison with the Buckhannon Police Department, Garrison responded to a domestic incident at the Cambridge Heights apartment complex Jan. 24, 2022.

Upon arriving at the unit, Garrison met the female victim and her mother who told police Wolfe had allegedly pushed her to the ground and “choked her to where she felt like she could not breathe,” the police report says. According to the report, the victim had visible red marks around her neck. Garrison noted Wolfe and the victim were previously married.

According to the file, Wolfe has three prior convictions of domestic battery with dates of Oct. 23, 2008; Jan. 29, 2018; and Oct. 23, 2020, all of which occurred in Upshur County. Wolfe was arrested Thursday on a warrant issued Feb. 8.

Upshur County Magistrate Alan Suder set bail at $30,000 cash only — $15,000 for each alleged offense – and Wolfe remained incarcerated as of Friday evening.

The penalty for a conviction of strangulation is a fine of up to $2,500 or imprisonment in the state penitentiary for not less than one year.

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