Casper Man Arrested for Strangling Woman

A man who was too drunk to speak with police officers was arrested Saturday morning after allegedly strangling a woman he lived with.

Travis Eugene Smith, 51, was taken into custody on charges of strangulation of a household member and interference with a 911 call.

Casper police officers conducted a welfare check at an apartment on West 25th Street at about 9 a.m. Saturday, At the same time, dispatch received a report of an assault in the same place.

The woman who reported the assault said Smith hit her in the face and strangled her. She drove herself to the emergency room while officers went to the apartment where the alleged assault occurred.

An officer arrived at the apartment to find Smith lying on the ground near the parking lot wearing only a t-shirt, jeans and moccasins.

Smith was unable to stand, walk or crawl, according to the affidavit. His speech was reportedly very slurred, nearly to the point where he could not be understood.

The officer called EMS, which arrived and determined Smith was not in need of emergency medical treatment.

Smith was arrested for public intoxication. He was taken to the emergency room at Wyoming Medical Center to be medically cleared before he was booked at the Natrona County Detention Center.

The victim told officers that Smith was drunk and woke her up at about 5 a.m., demanding that she take him to the convenience store to buy chewing tobacco.

The victim didn't want to take him, and an argument ensued, court documents say.

Smith allegedly threw the victim on the floor in the living room. At that point, the victim said she was leaving because she was tired of the abuse, according to the affidavit.

The victim tried to call 911, but Smith allegedly took the phone away and said if she called the cops, he would kill himself.

Court documents say the victim ended up taking Smith to the convenience store around 7:30 a.m.

While on the way home, the victim said Smith began to "freak out," and said she had "better learn to keep her mouth shut."

When they got to the apartment, the victim reportedly told smith she was going to let him out and move to another state without him.

At that point, Smith allegedly grabbed the victim by the throat and tried to strangle her. The victim thought she was going to black out, according to the affidavit.

The victim grabbed Smith's hand by the thumb and bit him in an attempt to get him to stop. Smith reportedly recoiled and punched her in the face before again trying to strangle her.

Court documents say the victim was able to get Smith to stop, push him out of the car and throw his things out as well. She left him in front of the apartment building, where he was found by officers, and went to the emergency room.