Asst. DA: Natrona County Man Strangled, Drug Woman Through Cactus

A Natrona County man battered a woman so severely that she had to be life-flighted to a Casper hospital, a prosecutor said in court Wednesday.

Matthew Drengenberg, 33, made his initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon. He is charged two counts of aggravated assault and a single count of strangulation of a household member for events that allegedly occurred Tuesday.

An affidavit of probable cause was not immediately available. A Natrona County Detention Center jail roster shows that Drengenberg was arrested just after 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Assistant Natrona County District Attorney Mike Schafer said it was apparent that the victim had been dragged through cactus and her right eye was swollen shut. The victim also had a partially "deflated" right lung, Schafer said.

Schafer added that the victim had to be life-flighted from the alleged incident. The assistant district attorney also noted that Drengenberg is free on bond for a domestic violence allegation involving the same victim earlier this year.

Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Brian Christensen set Drengenberg's bond at $50,000 cash or surety.