He had been convicted of two previous domestic violence incidents
Gary Michael Gouge (Photo from Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office)
Frederick, Md (KM) A Mount Airy man was sentenced on Tuesday to 44 years in prison for 1st-degree assault and a violation of probation for a previous first-degree assault conviction. . Gary Michael Gouge, 42, was convicted of those charges following a jury trial on July 31st, 2025. .
The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office says Gouge was arrested on January 16th, 2025 following a domestic incident on 4504 Buffalo Road.. . The caller told a 911 dispatcher that her sister was being assaulted. by Gouge. A deputy who was dispatched to the scene heard a woman screaming from outside of the home. .
Inside, the woman was hysterically crying, shaking and saying the defendant became angry. cursing at her and grabbing her. He strangled her, grabbed a pocket knife and threatened to kill the victim and her children. She was also slammed into a wall, prosecutors say.
Gouge had been released in May, 2023 for a previous domestic assault case, and was attempting to blame the victim and changed his story several times, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. .
Gouge was convicted of two domestic violence cases. In one in 2013 he assaulted his former wife and accused her of cheating. Gouge was serving time for that incident when he released early in 2023. .
He also was convicted for an incident in 2017 when he strangled his then-girlfriend. Gouge also put a gun to her head, and threatened to kill after he accused her of cheating.
During sentencing on Tuesday, the victim in the most recent domestic violence incident addressed the court in her Victim Impact Statement. “The day I almost lost my life is the only date I now remember. On that day, the Defendant took my breath; today with my breath, I get to tell him ‘I am taking my life back.'”
“Abusers who strangle are telling the victim they can kill them, ” says State’s Attorney Charlie Smith, in a statement. “Strangulation increases the likelihood of future homicide. Abusers who violate their probation by abusing a partner again are the worst of the worst. The Offender had two prior victims, and with this sentence, he will be appropriately behind bars-unable to hurt another woman for a very long time.”
The case was prosecuted by Brett Engler, the Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit, who was recently named by the Governor as a District Court Judge.
By Kevin McManus