Jury selection began Thursday for the trial of a Melcher-Dallas man accused of assaulting a woman who was living with him, then taking her car without permission.

36-year-old Dustan Eugene Holtry is charged with Domestic Abuse Assault, a Class D Felony, Willful Injury, and Operating a Vehicle Without Consent.

According to court documents, the victim told Holtry she was moving out on the morning of March 15th, when he demanded the keys to her vehicle. She refused and Holtry reportedly knocked her down, put his hands around her neck, and was impeding her breathing as she tried to call for help. Holtry then took the battery out of her cellphone and threw it outside. When the victim attempted to retrieve the battery, Holtry grabbed the victim’s keys and took her car. He was later picked up in Clarke County still operating the victim’s vehicle.

A check of Holtry’s criminal past shows a prior domestic assault charge in 2012.