Arrest affidavit: Longmont man hit, choked girlfriend because she wanted to break up

By Madeline St. Amour 

A Longmont man accused of hitting and strangling his girlfriend after she tried to break up with him is facing first-degree assault charges, among others.

Nicholas Rueckert, 40, was arrested Monday on suspicion of first- and second-degree assault, false imprisonment and domestic violence.

Rueckert will be formally charged in Boulder County Jail today.

According to an arrest affidavit, the victim told Longmont police she and Rueckert got into an argument because she wanted to end the relationship. The victim said Rueckert covered her mouth for five minutes and, after he released her, struck her in the face as she was gathering her things.

She said Rueckert then got behind her and put her into a chokehold, the affidavit states, and she feared she was going to die before losing consciousness. According to the victim, when she awoke Rueckert said, "If you call the cops, I will slit your throat."

A witness who was in another room in the home heard the victim scream and went to the door after Rueckert left, according to the affidavit. She found a latch on the door that prevented it from being opened on the inside, and opened it to free the victim.

The victim then went to a neighbor's house before going to Longmont United Hospital, according to the affidavit.

The attending doctor at the hospital said the victim suffered a nasal fracture and strangulation to the point of unconsciousness, which placed her at a "substantial risk of death," the affidavit states.

Rueckert currently has two other pending court cases in Boulder County, according to Colorado courts records. One case includes multiple charges of identity theft, criminal possession of a financial device and identifying documents, and possession of forged instruments, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The second case includes possession and distribution of controlled substances charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

He also has a pending case in Weld County for first-degree assault, felony menacing and criminal mischief. He has not yet entered a plea in that case.

Rueckert was previously convicted of third-degree assault in 1998 and possession or sale of a controlled substance in 1997, according to court records.

He has a number of other misdemeanor cases, as well as felony cases that were dismissed by the presiding district attorney. One case included 25 charges, many regarding illegal possession of a weapon by a previous offender, all of which were dismissed.