Patrick Boulanger

A man was arrested and charged with a pair of felonies after Butler police said he choked his girlfriend and punched her in the head and face Wednesday night during a domestic dispute at their apartment on the 400 block of West Cunningham Street.

The 31-year-old victim suffered injuries, including facial bleeding and bruising, that required hospital treatment, authorities said.

Patrick C. Boulanger, 41, was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault and strangulation. He was placed in the Butler County Prison on $5,000 bond following arraignment.

Police said they spoke to the woman around 9 p.m. at a friend's home, where she went for help after fleeing from the defendant. Officers said her left eye was bruised and swollen shut. Her nose also was swollen and bleeding.

She recounted that she and Boulanger had gotten into an argument that escalated when he grabbed her by the throat with both hands, police said, leaving her unable to breathe.

He allegedly pushed her to the floor and dragged her across the kitchen floor by the feet. The woman told police that she managed to get up and get her cell phone, but the defendant ripped the phone from her hand and struck her in the face.

She said he again dragged her by the feet across the floor, and also pushed her against a dresser and punched her in the face and head, according to charging documents.

The woman was taken by ambulance to Butler Memorial Hospital for medical treatment.

Police said they went to the couple's apartment, where they found Boulanger. Officers also described seeing a “large amount of blood” on the kitchen floor.

The defendant told police that his girlfriend “hit me first,” documents said. But police noted that his only injury was a “small scratch” below his left ear.