Man pleads not guilty in assault on girlfriend

A Davis County man has pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault and threatening the life of his estranged girlfriend.

Michael Paul Montgomery appeared in 2nd District Court on Dec. 6 to enter a plea of not guilty to second-degree felony kidnapping, third-degree felony aggravated assault and threat against life, a class B misdemeanor.

According to the Davis County Sheriff's Office, a Woods Cross woman called police last November saying her boyfriend showed up at her apartment to talk about their relationship problems. The woman told deputies that during a drive, her boyfriend said he would have her beaten up and her body dumped somewhere it couldn't be found for days.

According to a police report, the man choked the woman until she was unconscious after she tried to flee his vehicle. When the woman woke up, she said the boyfriend had driven to an area near Layton. She tried to run and the man tried to chase her. His car became stuck in a ditch and both had to wait for help from his parents before she was taken home.

A pretrial conference has been scheduled for Jan. 17.