U Of M Professor Aaron Doering Pleads Guilty To Domestic Assault
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A University of Minnesota professor has pleaded guilty to domestic assault by strangulation after he was accused of violently attacking his girlfriend during an argument in December.
Aaron Doering, 47, entered the plea Thursday. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of violating a domestic abuse no-contact order. He will be sentenced June 19.
According to a criminal complaint, Doering admitted he had been drinking heavily the night of Dec. 26 when police were called to the Minneapolis apartment he shared with his girlfriend. The woman told police Doering grabbed her by her hair, dragged her, hit her and strangled her until she was unable to breathe and thought she was losing consciousness.
Doering will be sentenced to a gross misdemeanor of 365 days in the workhouse stayed for two years, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. He will serve 180 days in the workhouse.
If Doering successfully serves the two-year probation, Freeman says he will not have to serve the remaining 185 days.
In his guilty plea, Doering said he acknowledged his girlfriend's account as true but said he does not remember the details of the night because he was intoxicated.
Doering must also complete treatment for alcohol addiction and mental health as part of the guilty plea.
