On Nov. 1, a Thursday, Elias Sofronas, 47, was released on $50,000 bond after he was arrested on charges of assaulting and choking his mother.
By Saturday, Nov. 10, police were called to the scene of another incident and wound up charging Sofronas with strangling again. This time he was accused of choking his girlfriend.
Darien Police Capt. Frederick W. Komm, a spokesman for the department, gave this account of the incidents:
In the first incident, Sofronas' mother, who lived in the same home with him, heard a noise in her bedroom. In the past Sofranas would go into her bedroom looking for money, she told police.
When she confronted him, he choked her, pushed her against a wall, then pushed her downstairs. She had a swolen neck and red marks on her neck after the incident, but she declined medical treatment.
Sofronas was charged with third-degree assault on an elderly person, second-degree strangulation and disorderly conduct. He posted $50,000 and was freed, but only after a protective order was issued forbidding him to go back to the house.
At about 4:22 a.m., Sofronas' mother, who lived in the same home with him, heard a loud argument between Sofranas and his girlfriend, who lives at the same address. The mother called 911.
The couple had been out together, and on their way back they got into an argument, police were later told. The girlfriend threw his keys out the window, which he then couldn't find.
As she tried to get back into the house, Sofronas grabbed her by the neck. She was able to back away and get in the house, which he also entered. He then threatened to assault her with a knife, although apparently he never made a move to get the knife.
He later left the residence, but police located him and arrested him, this time keeping him in lieu of a $150,000 bond.
This time, Sofronas was charged with disorderly conduct, second-degree strangling and second-degree threatening. He appeared Monday in state Superior Court in Stamford.
Editor's note: Earlier versions of this article used the word "strangled" instead of "choked." One definition of "strangle" is to choke, but the more common definition of that word is to choke to death. Although Connecticut statutes call the criminal charge "strangling" (Section 53a, 64bb) they define the criminal act as choking in the more common sense. To avoid confusing readers, the wording has been changed to "choked" in the headline and story.
