Collins resident allegedly assaults visiting girlfriend after argument

Shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday, a custodian in Collins Center called the IU Police Department after hearing a woman screaming.

When police entered the dorm room, Benard Efroymson, 19, and the female, also 19, were separated. IUPD Chief Keith Cash said the woman was clearly upset.

“The two had a verbal argument that led to the physical contact,” Cash said.

The woman told police that Efroymson had held her down with his hands around her throat and across her mouth, trying to stop her from screaming.

Efroymson, however, told police the woman struck him and that he was defending himself.

Police reported abrasions on the woman’s throat and a laceration above her eye, Cash said.

Efroymson was arrested for Class D felony confinement, Class D felony strangulation and Class A misdemeanor battery.

Police called an ambulance, and emergency technicians checked the woman’s injuries, Cash said. However, she declined treatment.

— Mary Kenney