LIBERTY — A Youngstown man made an appearance in Girard Municipal Court after being arrested by Liberty police at a nearby funeral home.

Kenneth Vaughn, 25, pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence Tuesday morning. A plea was not entered for his second charge, strangulation, according to court records.

According to the police report, officers were called to Churchill Road in response to a disturbance, and upon arrival, officers spoke with both parties — a woman and Vaughn. The woman told officers that she got into a verbal and physical altercation with him, and officers noted the woman had a red scratch under her left eye.

The woman said she and Vaughn were arguing at her house, and she told him to leave before she called the police, resulting in him speeding out of the driveway.

According to the report, the woman said the argument initially started over Vaughn accusing her of taking his keys, adding that they both had pink key chains and he thought she had his. They eventually left and went to Walmart and were talking to each other. The report states that as they were talking, however, Vaughn took an unknown pill and he changed into a different person, which the woman said was like “flipping the switch.”

The report states that as the woman talked about things that were bothering her, Vaughn got upset and started smacking her in the face with an open hand. As officers continued getting more information from the woman, a Girard police officer observed hand marks on her neck, and she was asked to put her neck up so officers could observe the marks.

According to the report, the woman began crying and apologizing that Vaughn choked her out with both hands, resulting in her passing out for an unknown amount of time. She said she remembered waking up, thinking she was overdosing.

An officer took photographs of the woman’s injuries and she declined offers for medical treatment. She also declined offers from officers to fill out a written statement and sign a domestic violence charge, adding that she was in fear for her life or retaliation from Vaughn if she signed documents, the report states.

Officers decided to file charges based on the evidence present and placed Vaughn under arrest.

The report states Vaughn’s car was towed from the road, and during their inventory of his vehicle, they found an unknown white pill stamped with “10 325” underneath the car radio, as well as an acetaminophen and oxycodone pill bottle with the label peeled off.

Charges for drug possession are pending lab results for the pill, and the charge for prescription labels is also pending, based on whether Vaughn can prove the bottles belong to him.

Vaughn’s bond was set at $15,000 for his strangulation charge, with conditions of house arrest and no contact with the victim being tacked onto it.

He is set to appear back in court for a preliminary hearing Aug. 27, according to court records.