St. Cloud Man Accused of Assaulting Woman After Night Out

ST. CLOUD -- A St. Cloud man is accused of choking a woman and repeatedly punching her in the face until she blacked out.

Twenty-seven-year-old Nickolas Brutger is charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation and two gross misdemeanor counts of domestic assault.

Court record show St. Cloud Police were called to a home in the early morning hours on March 30th on a report of a domestic assault.  Officers made contact with a woman who was visibly upset.  Police say the woman had a swollen face, a left eye nearly swollen shut, and blood on her hands and face.

Police say the woman said she was out for a night with friends and when she came home Brutger began punching her in the face.  Brutger allegedly put the woman in a headlock which prevented her from breathing.  The victim said at one point she picked up a knife but Brutger knocked it out of her hand and continued punching her in the face until she blacked out.

When the victim regained consciousness she said she went knocking on doors for help until a woman let her inside.  The neighbor said the woman told her she was strangled and beaten by Brutger.

Brutger's criminal history shows a previous domestic assault conviction in Stearns County in 2016.

He's due in court April 22nd.