40-year-old Andre Johnson was jailed Sunday morning after police reported to Baymont Hotel on Northcreek Boulevard for a noise complaint. The hotel manager told the police they wanted the guests removed from the property. Upon arrival, officers contacted Andre, who was smoking a cigarette on the balcony. Officers immediately noticed Johnson had scratch marks on his face and that there was an unmistakable odor of alcohol coming from his person. Johnson seemed annoyed with officers as he explained that the scratches on his face came from his fiancé, Kristen Trantham, after getting into an argument. He then began rambling about moving from North Carolina to Tennessee, but Johnson wouldn’t explain what happened between the two.
Kristen told police that she was visiting Johnson for the weekend. They had been out at a pool hall drinking, and he had passed out in the passenger’s seat on the way home. When they arrived at the hotel, Kristen tried to wake Johnson, but he wouldn’t wake up. She then slapped him in the face to get him up, but he still wouldn’t wake up, so she left him in the car and went to their room. Johnson came to the room shortly after and began yelling at her. He then grabbed Kristen by the throat and began strangling her. She finally got away and went into the bathroom, where Johnson then opened the door and shoved Kristen off the toilet. When she left the bathroom, Johnson began strangling her again, and she fell to the floor. Kristen explained that she tried to hit Johnson to get him off her. He finally stopped strangling her and left the room. Officers observed marks and bruising on Kristen’s neck. Johnson later admitted that he had six beers and a half a pint. He was placed into custody and transported to booking.
