An Austin man pleaded not guilty in Mower County Court Thursday to allegations that he choked and slapped a woman after an argument in October.

Andrew Lee Davis, 27, is being charged with felony third-degree assault and felony domestic assault by strangulation for an incident that allegedly occurred Oct. 11.

Court documents report that the woman and her friend were hanging out with Davis when she and Davis got into an argument. The woman and her friend left, and Davis apparently followed them.

When he caught up to the woman, he allegedly put his forearm around her neck and squeezed. The woman told police that she asked him to stop and he squeezed harder.

Davis then allegedly slapped the woman with enough force that she was knocked to the ground, at which point he climbed on top of her and began choking her with both hands.

The woman told officers that her friend pulled Davis off her; she then tried to push him so she could escape, but he tackled her to the ground. She said something popped in her knee when he tackled her.

The woman’s friends took her to Austin Medical Center, where she told medical professionals she had fallen down. She left AMC with a knee brace and returned three days later, on Oct. 14, because of pain in her knee. She then told doctors she had been injured by Davis.

She told doctors she had not reported the incident sooner because she is afraid of Davis.

Davis will appear in court again on Dec. 16 for his pre-trial and on Dec. 27 for a jury trial.