St. Cloud Man Pleads Guilty to Choking Fiancee [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD -- A St. Cloud man has been sentenced to just under two years in prison for an assault on his fiancee in July.

Forty-seven-year-old Ray Jones pleaded guilty to felony domestic assault by strangulation as his jury trial was getting underway. A Stearns County judge sentenced Jones to one year and 11 months in prison. He'll get credit for already serving 93 days in jail.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim called police saying she had been beaten by Jones and that she could barely walk. While en route, officers received a call from a neighbor of the victim, who was calling on her behalf, saying the victim no longer wanted the police to show up as Jones "was back and would kill her if he saw police."

Authorities arrived to find the victim crying and hesitant to talk to authorities.

Court records show Jones became angry with the woman and punched her on the side of her stomach and legs after he found another man's number on her phone. The two went to bed and the argument continued the next morning, where Jones grabbed her by the neck and choked her until she couldn't breathe.

The victim told police the marks on her body were from a rash and surgery and asked not to take Jones into custody because she believed "he would get out and things would be worse for her."

As part of the guilty plea, the remaining charges of domestic assault were dismissed.