A Catawba County man was sentenced to a minimum of nine years in prison after being found guilty of multiple charges in Iredell County Superior Court.

A jury found 44-year-old Garcia Dontae Finger of Newton guilty of assault by strangulation inflicting serious injury, assault on a female and breaking or entering. The charges were filed in connection to an incident at his girlfriend’s house on January 31, 2020.

The woman testified that the defendant broke into her home and assaulted her. Iredell County Sheriff’s Officers and a detective testified in the trial, which started last Monday, September 11. Another former Iredell County detective and a former doctor at Davis Regional Medical Center also took the stand.

After the jury returned the guilty verdict, the prosecutor presented evidence related to Finger’s prior felony convictions. The jury then found the defendant guilty of being an habitual felon.

Superior Court Judge William Wood ordered the defendant to serve an active sentence of 108 to 142 months, or nine years to 11 years, ten months in prison. He was being held in the Iredell County Detention Center as of earlier today (September 19).