FREDERICK, Md. – A former trooper of the year in the Maryland State Police aviation unit faces a second-degree assault charge stemming from a domestic dispute at his home.
The Frederick News-Post (http://bit.ly/2ctIGAL ) reports that 39-year-old John Preston was charged Tuesday after his wife Mindi Valuckas said he briefly choked her with his hands.
Preston filed a second-degree assault charge against his wife, contending she threw a clock at him and tore his shirt.
A telephone message left by The Associated Press at the couple's Monrovia home Thursday was not immediately returned. No defense attorney is listed for either party in online court records.
State police spokeswoman Elena Russo says Preston has been suspended with pay.
Preston was named trooper of the year in the state police aviation unit in 2011.
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Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, http://www.fredericknewspost.com
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