SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. -- A man accused of choking a woman will face felony charges, instead of a misdemeanor, because of a new Colorado law, according to District Attorney Bruce Brown.
A woman told police that David Kirsch hit her in the face, then grabbed her by the neck, choking her. She managed to escape her alleged attacker on Saturday and get help at City Market in Dillon.
Officers who interviewed her said she had a swollen, bloody lip.
Kirsch was arrested on suspicion on assault in the second degree by strangulation. A new charge that became effective July 1.
"Before the new legislation, this case would most likely been prosecuted as a misdemeanor," Brown said in statement sent to Denver7. "However with the new law, bringing Colorado in step with many other progressive states who are toughening up laws that protect against domestic violence, we now have more teeth to prosecute."
Kirsch was in court Monday. The judge issued a mandatory protection order for the victim, Brown's office said.
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