Strangulation, Guns & Meth: Man Faces Multiple Felonies After Richfield Arrest

Minneapolis resident Andy Morales, 22, is facing seven felonies after Richfield police responded to a domestic assault at the city's notorious Motel 6 Feb. 12, and a subsequent search of his residence.

Morales is charged with one count of domestic assault by strangulation, one count of first-degree possession of a controlled substance and five counts of a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

According to the criminal complaints, Richfield police responded to Motel 6 on a report of a domestic assault at around 4 a.m. Feb. 12. Upon arrival, officers approached the room and heard a female crying and a male telling her to "shut up" and "stop it." The female victim was also heard saying, "Let go of me. Don't touch me," and "Please just let me go."

Officers knocked on the door, and Morales eventually answered. The female victim was in the room and she had blood on her shirt and face, and her lower lip was swollen, according to police documents.

The victim reportedly told police Morales became angry with her when she revealed she was pregnant with his child and not planning to terminate the pregnancy. Morales slammed her against the wall of the motel room and told her he would kill her, according to the report. He then put his hands around her neck and squeezed. She reported that she couldn't breath and began to feel numb. He then pushed her to the floor and slapped the back of her head to the floor numerous times.

During the victim's report, she said she was afraid of Morales because he was a drug dealer and had a gun. Police found a firearm in his vehicle, as well as drug residue. Morales was arrested and taken to jail that evening.

After gathering more evidence, the following day, Feb. 13, police executed a search warrant on Morales's Minneapolis residence on the 3500 block of 2nd Avenue.

During the search, police found a suitcase containing two photo identification cards for Morales, a box of .22 caliber ammunition, three cell phones, and four plastic bags containing marijuana in weights of 190, 450, 211 and 48 grams.

Police also found a .223 caliber assault rifle and a .22 caliber handgun under a mattress in a bedroom. In the bedroom closet, police found: a 12 gauge shotfun, $12,000 in various denominations, a box of .357 caliber ammunition, a box of .25 caliber ammunition, and a box of 9 millimeter ammunition.

In addition, a safe was also located in the closet, which was accessed with a key recovered from Morales when he was arrested for the assault the day before. In the safe, police found: a container with 7.7 grams of methamphetamine, a container with 113 grams of methamphetamine and $24,130 in various denominations.

Morales's criminal record includes an adjudication for second-degree assault in 2006, a conviction as an extended jurisdiction juvenile for second-degree assault in 2009, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in 2009. All convictions made him ineligible to possess a handgun.

Each count of a prohibited person in possession of a firearm carry a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine. The drug possession charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison and/or up to a $1 million fine. The assault charge carries a maximum of three years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

Both criminal complaints have been added to this article as PDFs.

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