A Jefferson, Texas man is now behind bars after allegedly strangling his estranged girlfriend early Tuesday morning.

Just after 5 a.m., patrol deputies responded to a 911 call on Section 22 Road in Vivian. The victim, who was staying with a friend, said 41-year-old Keith Bickham of Jefferson, Texas, knocked on the door of the residence, then busted in when she opened the door. The woman said she was thrown on the ground by Bickham, punched, and strangled. She escaped through a back door and ran to a neighbor’s for help, according to Det. Chris Daniel.

When deputies arrived, they found Bickham unconscious and hanging by a rope from a tree branch on the property. Cpl. Randal Terrell rendered aid and called for medical assistance. Bickham was taken by North Caddo EMS to University Health and once released will be booked for domestic abuse battery by strangulation.

The female victim, who is 27 years old, was treated at the scene by Fire District 7.

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