N.Y. anchorman resigns amid allegations he tried to strangle wife

A New York television anchorman who was the face of WCBS-TV resigned Wednesday amid allegations he tried to strangle his wife.

Rob Morrison, whose booking photo showing a bloodied face has been circulating on the Internet the last few days, spent Tuesday in court in Stamford, Conn., on second-degree strangulation, second-degree threatening and disorderly conduct charges.

“I did not choke my wife. I have never laid my hands on my wife,” Morrison, 44, told reporters before entering the courtroom. “I was just as surprised by that particular charge as probably was everyone else who’s heard about this story.”

His wife, Ashley Morrison, is a television reporter for “CBS MoneyWatch.”

Despite his lawyer’s previous claims that the accusations were overblown, Rob Morrison announced his immediate resignation Wednesday, according to a statement released by the station.

“My family is my first and only priority right now and I have informed CBS 2 management that I need to put all of my time and energy into making sure that I do what’s best for my wife and my son,” Morrison said. “I very much appreciate the opportunity that CBS 2 has given me and I thank them for accepting my decision.”

The charges stem from a phone call police received from Morrison’s mother-in-law in Indiana on Sunday about a domestic dispute the news anchor had with her daughter at their Connecticut home.

ALSO:

Jesse Jackson Jr. pleads guilty to conspiracy

U.S. Supreme Court won’t block Chicago woman’s deportation

Texas authorities investigating death of adopted Russian toddler