Oakdale Man Charged with Domestic Assault

An Oakdale man has been charged with domestic assault and making terroristic threats for allegedly strangling his ex-girlfriend and threatening to kill her.

Christopher Thomas Brantner, 26, is charged in Washington County District Court in connection with a Feb. 11 incident.

According to the court complaint, the woman told police she was at Brantner’s apartment in the 1200 block of Glenbrook Avenue when he began asking her about her new boyfriend. When she refused to talk about it, he allegedly grabbed her hair and pulled it back, causing her to lose balance and hit a wall in the hallway, she told police according to the complaint. He then allegedly pinned her to the ground, punched her in the back and started strangling her, according to the complaint. He let her up when she said she was just going to leave, but then she said she was going to call the police and he allegedly tackled her, began choking her and allegedly whispered in her ear that he was going to kill her and he could easily dispose of the body, the complaint says.

At that time, a mailman knocked on the door, and the woman took the opportunity to grab her baby and run out the door, the complaint says.

The mailman told police that the woman flung open the door and grabbed his shirt sleeve, the complaint says.

The woman told police had it not been for the mailman, she felt Brantner would have killed her.

Police observed that the woman's neck was swollen and had abrasions on it, the complaint says.

Brantner told police that the woman was upset because she wanted to get back together with him, and so she slapped him in the face, the complaint says. He denied touching or threatening her and said she must have given herself the marks on her neck, according to the complaint.

Brantner is charged with one count of domestic assault by strangulation, which has a maximum penalty of three years in prison and $5,000 in fines. He is also charged with one count of making terroristic threats, which has a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.