Cheyenne Man Charged With Strangulation, Drug Possession

A 30-year-old Cheyenne man is in hot water after allegedly strangling a household member and getting caught with drugs.

Traffic Stop Leads to Drugs, Wanted Man's Arrest

According to a booking sheet, police arrested David John Ortiz on Morrie Avenue at Covered Wagon Drive at 3 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10.

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It's alleged that Ortiz possessed drugs.

He also reportedly had a warrant out of Laramie County Circuit Court for strangulation of a household member - applying pressure on the throat or neck, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

That crime is alleged to have occurred on or about Oct. 4, 2025.

Ortiz was taken to the Laramie County Detention Center, where he was booked on his warrant, and subsequently charged with misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana, all crimes punishable by up to one year in jail, up to a $1,000 fine, or both.

Initial Court Appearance

On Monday, Jan. 12, Ortiz was seen in Circuit Court in front of Judge TJ Forwood on the cases.

Forwood appointed Ortiz a public defender, then asked the state for recommendation on bond.

"There'd already been one prior contact in 2021, looks like a domestic violence that got knocked down to an unlawful contact, that was in December of '21 ... failure to appear in June of '24 then again (in) December of '24 related to driving under suspension - cancelled or revoked, and then we arrive at the incident matter," the state said. "Having reviewed the affidavit, while the victim didn't appear to lose consciousness, the trigger for it was a juvenile that apparently woke the defendant ... so, I'd be asking for this felony matter $5,000 cash."

"As to the drug-related, it looks like I'm showing on mine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana allegations ... cocaine and especially fentanyl (are) a serious risk to the community, to others, as well as if there happens to be any children in the vicinity," the state added. "Accordingly, the state's going to ask for a $2,500 on that."

Ortiz told Forwood he had a job and asked if he could get a signature bond.

"I'll show up to all my cases," he said. "I need to get out of here so I can get to work."

"That stuff that they found was not mine and they told me that it's just because I was driving the vehicle, it was in my possession, I have to take the charge for it," added Ortiz. "I don't even do fentanyl. I don't f--- with that s---."

Total Bond Set at $3,500 Cash

"It's good to hear that you don't do that, but as my mom used to always tell me and I told my kids yesterday, you hold the company you keep," Forwood told Ortiz. "So, for that misdemeanor I'm going to do a $500 cash bond. On the strangulation, I'm going to do a $3,000 cash bond. That'll be a total of $3,500 you need to post."

"I can't do a signature bond," asked Ortiz.

"I know this is hard (and) you really want to get out," Forwood told Ortiz. "Having a job is a really good thing, I took that into account, but I've got to look at the risk to the community and your risk of non-appearance. Under the circumstances, there are failures to appear, there's also felony conduct, and you got drugs somewhere near you, around you, possessed by you, so no, you are a danger to the community, they are both cash bonds."

As part of his bond conditions, Forwood ordered that Ortiz not have contact with the victim and child witness and undergo weekly testing at the Drug Testing Center of Cheyenne.

Ortiz's next court proceeding will be a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 2:15 p.m.

Please remember that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.