Racine man charged for allegedly attacking woman, putting her in chokehold, facing 21 months jail time

RACINE — A report of a man with a gun who was attacking a woman on April 28 led to a trio of misdemeanor criminal charges against a 36-year-old Racine man.

Charles House, who is free from custody on a $500 cash bond, is charged with misdemeanor counts of battery, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest as a repeat offender.

The charges carry a maximum possible fine of $21,000 and 21 months in the county jail.

The criminal complaint: Attacking woman, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest

Police arrived at the residence, where they established a perimeter. They spoke to the woman, who stated that House had left the residence on foot in an unknown direction.

The woman stated that she and House had been in a relationship for about three years and had lived together the previous two. She said he “gets very upset and abusive when he drinks,” and when she returned home that day, he became verbally argumentative and began to yell at her and her children.

When the woman tried to leave, she said House followed, then became physical and began to attack her with his hands, “swinging his fists at her,” the complaint states. The woman said she tried to block the blows with her forearms and bedding material, but House continued to follow her.

At one point, she fell to the floor and was bitten in the face by her dog, she said, while House continued to attack her. As she fled to the bedroom, she stated he attempted to choke her. Police observed a bruise on the woman’s neck that appeared to have been caused by the defendant’s finger.

The woman stated House stopped the attack when he overheard his daughter calling the police. The woman’s daughter fled the house with her infant child. The woman’s son told police he saw House with his mother in a choke hold and further indicated the defendant had several guns inside the residence.

Two days later, police returned with a warrant for House’s arrest. Police observed him running from a detached garage and attempted to take him into custody at gunpoint, but he entered the residence through the back door, the complaint states.

After officers surrounded the residence, they were eventually able to get House to exit, where he was taken into custody.

House is due back in Racine County Circuit Court on July 31, for an 8:30 a.m. status conference.