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NEW YORK (AP) — An embattled New York City television news anchor resigned Wednesday, three days after he was charged with choking and threatening his wife at their Connecticut home.

WCBS-TV released a statement saying that anchor Rob Morrison had quit, effective immediately. Morrison said in the statement that his family is his "first and only priority right now" and that he told station 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 was arrested Sunday in Darien, Conn., on charges that he threatened and choked his wife, Ashley Morrison, a fellow television journalist who anchors "CBS Moneywatch." In court papers, Darien police said Ashley Morrison had red marks on her neck after the encounter. An officer also said that Morrison threatened to kill his wife if he was released from police custody.

The arrest apparently followed years of domestic squabbles in the household. New York City police said they had been to the couple's home 11 times when they lived in Manhattan, including one incident that led to an arrest that was later sealed.

Morrison's lawyer, Robert Skovgaard, confirmed Wednesday that his client had resigned from his TV job. Morrison has yet to enter a formal plea in his case, but said outside the courthouse Monday that he had never "raised my hands to my wife," and had not choked her.

At WCBS, he had anchored the news programs "This Morning" and "News at Noon."