BUCKHANNON – An Upshur County man was arrested after reportedly hiding behind a garbage container prior to jumping out and allegedly grabbing someone by the hair, resulting in a face injury.

James Arbogast, 52, of Buckhannon, was arrested for domestic battery, third offense or subsequent offense, a felony.

According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by Upshur County Sheriff’s Deputy Riley Lamb, on Sunday, March 3, at approximately 7:21 a.m., Lamb responded to Reeves Street in Upshur County in reference to a domestic dispute.

Upon Lamb’s arrival, the victim stated Arbogast allegedly hid behind the garage bin of their residence that morning “in wait for her,” and when she attempted to place waste into the garbage bin, Arbogast jumped from concealment.

He allegedly grabbed her by the back of the hair and jerked downward in an aggressive manner, resulting in an injury to her lower left lip, according to the criminal complaint. Lamb observed a scabbed-over injury to the victim’s lower left lip and photographed it. Arbogast has two prior convictions for domestic battery on May 30, 2013, and June 8, 2023, the report says.

Bail was set at $7,500 cash or surety by Upshur County Magistrate Alan Suder. The potential penalty for a conviction of third-offense domestic battery is imprisonment in a state penitentiary for not less than one nor more than five years, a fine of up to $2,500 or both.