By Brandi Makuski

A 46-year-old man faces more than six years in prison if convicted on charges of strangulation and battery.

William Gentry, of Stevens Point, was arrested on March 24 during a traffic stop several hours after the alleged incident.

Police were called to a Sixth Ave. home at about 6:30 AM that day after a babysitter reported a woman retrieving children was bloody and bruised.

The woman told police said an argument began with Gentry the night before, when he found a suspicious cigarette butt on their porch, which led Gentry to believe the woman was cheating on him. The couple went out for drinks, according to the complaint, and the argument continued throughout the evening.

The argument escalated when the couple returned home at about 2 AM, when Gentry “started swinging” at the woman, according to the complaint, who he punched repeatedly and strangled. Gentry also reportedly threatened to kill the woman, who later told police she thought she was going to die that night.

When questioned by police, Gentry said it was the woman who became violent, throwing items around the home and jumping on him until “he was able to get away from her”. Officers noted Gentry’s knuckles were red, “as though he had been hitting something,” during the interview.

Gentry is free on a $1,000 signature bond. He returns to court April 10.