BEDFORD – A Bedford man was arrested Sunday after Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to a domestic fight at Tunnelton Road and Duncan Bend Lane Saturday night.
The woman told the dispatcher she was in a white Honda Pilot and her boyfriend had injured her.
A Seals ambulance responded to the scene.
When police arrived they detained 24-year-old Joseph Bennett.
A woman and a young female child were being treated by the ambulance crew.
Police found blood in the vehicle.
The woman had redness and swelling to her face and nose and dried blood on her mouth and chin. The front of her shirt was also covered in blood.
She also suffered a small laceration on her tongue, which police say happened when she unintentionally bit her tongue when she was struck in the face.
The ambulance personnel encouraged the woman to go to the hospital for possible broken bones in her face.
The woman told police she was 21 weeks pregnant with Bennett’s child.
The woman said the two got into an argument while she was driving Bennett to his father’s house.
She stopped the vehicle just north of Duncan Bend Lane and told him to walk the rest of the way.
That is when Bennett began punching her in the face. He also grabbed her cell phone so she could not call for help. She did tell police she did scratch Bennett in an attempt to get away from him.
The woman did not want to file charges because Bennett was on probation and she didn’t want him to go to jail.
Bennett told police the woman was taking him to his father’s house so he could attend a funeral and the two got into an argument. He said he grabbed the woman’s phone and she pulled over and began punching him in the face and pulled his hair.
He told police he went to push her away and struck her once in the face with the palm of his hand to get her to let loose of his hair and that ner nose began to bleed and he feels bad about that.
Bennett was arrested on charges of domestic battery in the presence of a minor and domestic battery on a pregnant woman.
If you or someone you know is involved in a domestic violence situation and needs help, call Hoosier Hills PACT 24-hour crisis line at 1-888-883-1959 or visit their website at https://www.pactchangeslives.com/
The agency can provide emergency assistance with shelter to those in domestic violence situations. Hoosier Hills Pack also provides assistance with court advocacy, protective orders, education, outreach programs, support groups, and more.
