Man gets 13 months in domestic violence assault

A transient man who brutally beat his girlfriend during an argument to end their relationship was sentenced Monday to 13 months in prison.

Brian M. Miller, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence assault, as part of a plea agreement. He originally faced first-degree domestic violence kidnapping and two counts of second-degree domestic violence assault.

The victim and Miller were driving April 7 when they began arguing over ending their relationship. The woman asked Miller to let her out of the moving vehicle, she said, but he refused, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

After Miller refused, the woman said she pretended to call police about his outstanding arrest warrants. Miller became enraged and attacked her, repeatedly punching her in the face. He strangled her, suffocated her by holding his hand over her mouth and nose, and then head-butted her in the face, knocking her unconscious, the affidavit says.

When the woman regained consciousness, Miller still refused to let her out of the car and told her he was going to take her “to the woods” and kill her. He called her a “narc” and “snitch,” court records state.

The woman said she feared for her life so she jumped from the moving vehicle. She suffered a broken nose and bruising to her lip, face and neck from the attack, according to court documents.

Miller also pleaded guilty in a second case to attempted possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 60 days to run concurrent with the assault case. In addition to his prison sentence, he will serve 18 months of community custody, court records show.=