Complaint: 33-year-old Madison man accused of strangling teenage girl during argument

MADISON, Wis. — The Madison man accused of abusing and assaulting a teenage girl he met online had allegedly strangled the teen during an argument, police said.

According to the criminal complaint, the 17-year-old girl was dropped off at her mother’s home after having a fight with Vincent L. Beard, 33, on May 15. The two had lived together and were said to be in a relationship. Officials said the girl arrived at her mother’s with several bruises on her back as well as a black eye.

The teen originally told officials she got the injuries from falling in a bathtub but later admitted to being assaulted, the complaint said.

The girl said her relationship with Beard had become abusive after about six months. She told officials he would take her phone away and grab her wrists tightly, and other times he would throw her against the wall.

The complaint said one of those instances was when the two got into an argument about a man who was calling the girl’s phone. Police said she suffered a black eye after being thrown face first onto the foot board of their bed.

Officials said Beard also had a handgun in his waistband during the incident but that he never took it out or threatened the girl with it. Police said the disturbance had lasted for roughly an hour.

The complaint said Beard later pinned the girl down to the ground and began to strangle her. The girl said she left soon after and spent the night at a friend’s home.

Police said Beard sent the teen several messages later that day, including one that said “You can come back if you want but I will hurt you more than you ever thought,” along with a follow-up message that said “I need help.”

When an officer asked the girl what the deciding factor was to report the incident to police, the girl said she was worried that Beard would victimize and hurt other women.

Beard is facing tentative charges of physical abuse of a child causing bodily harm, strangulation or suffocation of a child, false imprisonment of a child, disorderly conduct while armed and many counts of sexual assault of a child.

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