Eagan Man Charged with Domestic Assault by Strangulation

An Eagan man has been charged with attempting to strangle a woman last weekend after she refused to have sex with him.

Ian Rumeliote, 33, faces a felony charge of domestic assault by strangulation, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine. He is also charged with interfering with an emergency call, which has a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

Rumeliote is free on his promise to make all future court appearances. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled for Nov. 21 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.

According to the criminal complaint, Eagan police were called to an apartment in the 1300 block of High Site Drive at 2:30 a.m. Saturday and found the victim crying and limping.

The victim told police that she and Rumeliote had been in her bedroom when he began trying to persuade her to have sex with him. She refused, jumped out of bed and began to walk away from Rumeliote, but he followed her and shoved her face-first against the wall, the complaint says.

The victim told Rumeliote to stop pushing her and hit him in the shoulder, then grabbed her phone so she could call 911. When she picked up her phone, Rumeliote put an arm around her neck and began to squeeze while grabbing her phone with his other hand, the complaint says.

The victim told police that she panicked and began blacking out, but fell to the floor and began screaming for help. While she was lying on the floor in a fetal position, Rumeliote kicked her, according to the complaint.

The woman eventually was able to flee the apartment and call police.