Husband accused of felony battery of pregnant wife

JONESBORO, Ark. – A disturbing case of domestic violence was reported to police on Monday.

Around 11:47 a.m. Monday morning, a caller reported to police seeing the victim, 27, post on Facebook about being assaulted by her husband, 31. Jonesboro Police Department was dispatched to The Links Apartments, the 1900-block, to an apartment, where they knocked and made contact with the victim. They immediately knew the situation had gone wrong.

The victim answered the door and the officer noticed two immediate traits: she had in some type of scuffle and she was seven months pregnant. The officer noted redness on her chest, her neck, her face and her arms. Her face, neck, hands and arms were visibly scratched up, too. He asked what was going on and the victim said she and her husband had been arguing. With the husband’s bravery in short order now that another male was on the scene, the officer was forced to call for him to come to the front of the house from the bedroom. The suspect did and the officer observed no injuries to him. 

The officer asked again what happened and the two stated, both, that they had been arguing and fighting. The victim admitted her husband caused the injuries to her. The suspect did not deny causing the injuries at that time, either, the officer noted.

The story changed when the officer asked the suspect to place his hands behind his back.

Suddenly, the victim began to protest that the officer “didn’t have to do that.” He explained he was arresting him because he could visibly see what had happened – and that’s when the victim attempted to change her story. The victim said she had scratched her own face, while putting on makeup, and she had already told the officer that – but the officer “misunderstood.”

The suspect then explained the two had been arguing since Thanksgiving over his ex-wife.

Photos were taken of the injuries and placed in evidence.

As the suspect was being transported to Craighead County Detention Center, he stated the victim had tried to injure herself to get him in trouble, before, the report said.

The man faces a felony third degree domestic battery charge.