Kelvin Tyrone Cotton Jr., 42, of Austin was charged on Friday in Mower County District Court with felony domestic assault and misdemeanor theft-take/use/transfer movable property without consent.

According to the court complaint, Cotton called police at 10:11 p.m. on Thursday to report he had been arguing with a former girlfriend. He said she had run away and he was in possession of her cell phone. An officer met with Cotton in the 200 block of First Avenue Northeast. Cotton said he was riding his bike when he saw her with two other males. He confronted the group and they started arguing. He denied striking her, but said at some point she dropped her purse and took off running. When he returned the purse to her, she ran again. He said he had her cell phone and followed her to the area near the Twin Towers, but lost the phone.

The officer met with Cotton’s former girlfriend, who was upset and crying, at the Twin Towers, the complaint states. She reported she had been walking with two males when she was confronted by Cotton. She said they began to argue and Cotton struck her “hard” on the chest, grabbed her purse and cell phone, and struck her twice more on the chest. She said she did not know the other males and they walked away from the scene.

The woman showed the officer a red injury on her chest, the complaint states. The officer unsuccessfully tried to find her cell phone.

A review of Cotton’s criminal history shows prior convictions for drug possession, disorderly conduct and violating a domestic abuse no contact order.

Cotton will appear in court again on Nov. 29.