AUSTIN — A woman allegedly seized her 15-year-old son's phone and strangled him when he attempted to take his phone back, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police arrested Marguerite Thome, 54, on April 2 and charged her with assault by strangulation/suffocation -- a third-degree felony.
According to police, officers responded to a disturbance call from the teen's father, who told him his son didn't want to be alone with his mother because she was "highly intoxicated." A police officer noted in the document that when he arrived, Thome appeared belligerent, smelled of alcohol and slurred her words when she spoke.
Thome told police that 90 minutes before they arrived, she went to pick up her son from school. While in the car, she said she took his phone. Thome said when she and her son got home, the teen attempted to take his phone back. At that point, Thome said she held her son down to prevent him from getting the phone, and he didn't fight back. Thome said there was a mark on her son's right rib cage after the incident. She told police she was not hurt after the incident.
After speaking with Thome, police said they spoke with the teen, who appeared visibly upset. The teen said his mother picked him up from school drunk. He told police his mother took his phone on the ride home.
When they arrived at their home, the teen said he attempted to get his phone back but his mother held him down to stop him.
Later in the evening, the victim said he argued with his mom, prompting him to go outside to get his phone. The teen said while he was in the car with his phone, his mother came outside and got physical with him. He told police he was stuck between the driver and passenger seats when his mother placed both hands around his neck and tried to strangle him.
The teen said his mother grabbed his neck tightly for about eight seconds. The teen alleges that his mother only let go of him when he slapped her on the arm with his phone. The teen said it was difficult to breathe while she had her hands around his neck.
Police noted that there was a 2-inch abrasion on his right rib area and a bleeding scratch on his left collarbone. The teen said his mom scratched him while she was attempting to get a grip on his neck.
Thome is being held in the Travis County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
