Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
A Moorcroft man faces felony charges of assault and strangulation after allegedly attacking two women on New Year’s Eve.
Just before midnight on December 31, a Moorcroft Police Department officer responded to a report of a domestic disturbance with two females sustaining injuries.
Dispatch advised that a male party, identified as Nicholas Hogen, had thrown a glass a one female, who was claiming her nose was broken, and that the other female had injuries to her arm. The reporting party also claimed that Hogen had held a knife against one of the victims’ throat and that he was currently sitting in the driveway in a truck.
According to court reports, Hogen immediately exited the truck with his arms raised as the officer arrived. There was allegedly blood on his arm, pants and shirt.
When asked what happened, Hogen allegedly said his dog caused the injury. He allegedly stated that there had been an argument involving several parties and one of them had thrown a whiskey glass at him, which he picked up and threw back at her.
Hogen claimed that he had not aimed the glass at anything and thought it had hit her in the chest.
A second officer arrived on scene and both entered the residence, where they observed blood trails throughout.
The officers observed blood on the left of one victim’s nose and swelling and redness under her left eye. The other victim claimed that Hogen had beat her while she was in the shower while “trying to gouge her eyes out”.
Marks were observed under the second victim’s eye that, according to court reports, could have come from someone trying to dig into her eye socket. One eye was also extremely swollen with red marks in the sclera.
The second victim also stated that Hogen had choked her and held a knife to her throat. When she allegedly screamed, other persons present in the home came into the room.
Red marks and bruising were allegedly visible around her neck, as well as a thin laceration that could have been caused by a knife blade.
Both victims were assessed at the hospital due to the severity of their injuries.
Hogen has been charged with a felony count of strangulation of a household member, two of aggravated assault and battery (bodily injury with a deadly weapon) and misdemeanor counts of domestic battery, battery and interference with emergency calls.