GR man charged with 2 felonies

A Green River man accused of strangling and throwing his pregnant girlfriend through a closet door is facing prison time for two felony charges.

Michael Junior Martinez, 41, appeared in the Third District Court of Judge Nena James at an arraignment to aggravated assault and battery and strangulation of a household member. If he is found guilty of the two felonies, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a maximum fine of $20,000. A jury trial has been scheduled to take place July 8 at 9 a.m.

According to court documents, on Jan. 8, 2019, a Green River Police Department officer was assigned to check up on a phone call regarding a domestic violence incident. The officer contacted Lynette Averett via phone to find out what happened. Averett told the officer that her daughter, Michelle Brewer, had allegedly been strangled and thrown through a door by her boyfriend, who she identified as Martinez. The officer was told Brewer threatened to call the police, but never did and she never reported the incident.

The officer then called Brewer. She told the officer that she and Martinez had gotten into an argument because she wanted to get an abortion. Brewer said she discovered she was pregnant by taking an over-the-counter pregnancy test and figured she was about 10 weeks along, but she hadn’t seen a doctor about the pregnancy.

Brewer said when she was having a conversation about the pregnancy with Martinez, Brewer told Martinez she thought the best course of action was to get an abortion. At this point, she said Martinez “flipped out,” and allegedly grabbed her by the throat, threw her on the bed and tried to hold her down. She said she fought to get free, but Martinez allegedly grabbed her by the throat again and threw her into and through a closet door in the hallway. After she got up, they continued to fight, but she eventually left the residence on her own.

Brewer said she then went to Martinez’ mother’s house, but no one was home, so she returned home to find Martinez asleep on the bed. She slept on the couch that night. The next day, after Martinez had left for work, Brewer packed some of her personal belongings and went to her friend’s house, but then eventually went to her mother’s house.

Brewer stated she and Martinez had been dating for about a year and had been living together since September of 2018. She said their had been several altercations throughout the relationship, but she never reported any to law enforcement and she didn’t want to press charges against Martinez.

Brewer said she needs to stay away from Martinez because the altercations have escalated over time.

The officer noticed Brewer had a large bump on her forehead with a cut, a bump and bruising behind her left ear and bruising on her neck. Brewer said her throat hurt, but has gotten better. She didn’t want medical treatment.