A Douglas County District Court jury has found a 42-year-old man from Highlands Ranch guilty of an assault on his former wife.
Michael Kichin Choi was found guilty last week of “assault 2-strangulation act of domestic violence,” a fourth-class felony.
“Our community needs to have faith that the law applies equally to everyone, current and former members of law enforcement included. It is unacceptable that a man trained in de-escalation, who likely responded to numerous domestic violence calls, would visit violence upon his former spouse,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Douglas County law enforcement continues to make addressing domestic violence a priority.”
On June 24, 2018, Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home in Highlands Ranch on a report of domestic violence.
The woman at the residence said she and her ex-husband, Choi, had been at a social event together. Afterwards she invited Choi to her apartment and they got into an argument while talking about why they got a divorce.
Choi hit the woman on the cheek with his open hand. She fell backward, and Choi kicked her, causing her to fall to the ground. Then, he put his foot on her neck, cutting off her blood flow until she became unconscious.
The defendant is a former Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputy. He left the agency in early 2015.
Sentencing is set for June 3 at 1:30 pm.