A former West Goshen police officer was charged with strangulation and DUI
Michael Meredith was arrested after a domestic incident on Sunday, authorities say.
A former West Goshen police officer has been charged with strangulation and driving under the influence after police say he assaulted his wife at their home in the township, then attempted to drive away while intoxicated.
Michael Meredith, 57, was arrested Sunday after officers responded to what police described as a domestic incident, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
Police were dispatched after the victim called 911 around 6 p.m., the affidavit said. When they arrived, Meredith was gone and his wife had locked herself in a bedroom of the home on Saint James Road.
She told police that Meredith, “unprovoked,” had struck her in the face and then placed his forearm on her neck for 10 seconds, making her fear for her life and feel as if she was going to pass out. Investigators said in the affidavit that she had a cut on her lip and discolored skin on her neck.
It is not clear when Meredith left the department, but he was in a photo posted on the department’s Facebook page in early October.
After the incident, officers found Meredith sitting in his car not far from his home and “detected an odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from” him, the affidavit said. He was “lethargic” and “unsteady on his feet,” and had driven over shrubbery near the home before being stopped, the document said.
Meredith was released after his arraignment Monday on $100,000 unsecured bail. No attorney was listed for him in court records.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 20.
Staff writer Vinny Vella contributed to this article.
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