White River Junction — Former Windsor Selectboard Chairman Justin Ciccarelli took a plea deal earlier this month and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor domestic assault charge after grabbing his then-fiancee during an argument in May.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, the 41-year-old Ciccarelli said he accepts full responsibility for his part in the incident.

He admitted he left marks on Lee Fotion’s arms when he grabbed her during a disagreement about parenting in the bedroom of their Windsor home.

A police affidavit in the case said Fotion hit Ciccarelli in the chest with her forearm, wrist and hand, and Ciccarelli said Tuesday he grabbed her then.

“I take responsibility for my part, and my part was stopping her from hitting me, and when I did that, I grabbed her by her arms and it absolutely wasn’t right, but I did in the moment what I thought I should have done,” he said.

Prosecutors in May charged Ciccarelli with the misdemeanor charge as well as a felony count of aggravated domestic assault.

Police at the time alleged Ciccarelli grabbed Fotion by her throat, lifted her off the ground and slammed her down onto her feet, according to an affidavit in the case.

Ciccarelli said he did not strangle Fotion.

“The part where I was accused of strangling is absolutely not true,” he said.

Prosecutors dropped the aggravated assault charge as part of the plea deal.

During the plea hearing on June 9, Windsor Superior Court Judge Harold Eaton Jr. handed Ciccarelli a suspended 6- to 18-month sentence and placed him on probation.

Ciccarelli must attend an anger management screening and a domestic abuse education program. His probation conditions state he can’t have contact with Fotion.

Prosecutor Glenn Barnes said Fotion was in “full support” of the resolution to Ciccarelli’s case. Barnes said he felt the outcome of the case was appropriate.

“It was a good resolution that had him taking accountability for his actions early on in the process,” Barnes said.

Ciccarelli and Fotion have since split; he still lives in Windsor with his two children.

Ciccarelli sat on the Selectboard for nearly 10 years before he resigned in late May after being charged.

He said he didn’t want to “involve the town” in his pending case. Ciccarelli said Tuesday he isn’t ruling out a future run for the board.

Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.