Man strangles mother of his child while she’s driving

Stravious Martez Johnson

By Joe Johnson

A domestic violence survivor was assaulted last week while she was driving her abuser around in a car.

The incident marked at least the second time that the 38-year-old Athens woman was violently victimized by Stravious Johnson since a strangling incident in 2023 for which he was convicted and sentenced to probation.

It happened late the night of March 23 when they were driving on West Hancock Avenue and the woman asked Johnson why he didn’t have his own vehicle.

That set him off and at the North Rocksprings Street intersection Johnson punched the woman’s face and grabbed her neck with both hands and choked her to near passing out.

He then got out and of the car and strangled the victim a second time by reaching through the open window.

“She stated that this time she held her breath but she still felt like it couldn’t breathe and thought she was going through pass you were,” a police report states. “Eventually Johnson and let go of her and she drove away.”

The woman called on a friend to drive her to the hospital, and after getting there she called the police. An officer who responded there observed the woman’s face being iced to reduce swelling and he noticed that her voice was still hoarse.

Warrants were obtained charging Johnson with aggravated assault and family violence battery.

A Superior Court judge denied bail for Johnson on the basis of his previous domestic violence conviction.

Anyone who is in an abusive relationship can seek advice and support services by calling Project Safe's 24-hour hotline at (706) 543-3331, or by visiting http://www.project-safe.org