A 24-year-old who allegedly beat a 43-year-old woman and left her stranded in the cold and snow on Dec. 9 has pleaded not guilty.

Edwin Martinez-Aguilar, of Austin, pleaded not guilty Thursday to third-degree assault with substantial bodily harm, a felony.

Police went to the 100 block of Second Avenue SE at about 7 a.m. that Sunday after they received the call about the severely injured woman. A neighbor made the 911 call after he allegedly found the victim sitting on the ground, unable to see or move her legs. The neighbor took the victim into his home and helped clean the blood on her. According to the court complaint, the woman had bruises on her face and knees and multiple abrasions underneath a torn shirt and other parts of her body. An officer who followed up with the victim at Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin discovered the woman had a fractured nose and swelling behind one of her eyes.

Police arrested Martinez-Aguilar shortly after they received the call, as he was in a home next door. According to the court complaint, he smelled strongly of alcohol and had broken skin and blood on his hands. Police also found a large amount of blood on the driveway and near the steps where the woman was assaulted, as well.

Martinez-Aguilar is held in the Mower County jail and has a pretrial for Feb. 8.