NEW BEDFORD — A 54-year-old New Bedford man accused of assaulting and strangling

his girlfriend last year had his charges dismissed on a simple defense: He’s a military veteran.

Allan T. Santos’ attorney got him cleared of the charges by invoking the state’s Valor Act, which steers veterans into treatment programs and away from jail.

With the approval of Bristol County Judge John P. Stapleton, and with a period of counseling through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the charges will be erased from his criminal record, as if he had never been accused.