BUCKHANNON—A Tallmansville man was arrested Saturday, March 28 for allegedly breaking a woman’s ribs and collapsing her lung after reportedly rubbing pizza in her face and hair.
Roger Gooden II, 33, was arrested for domestic battery, third offense, a felony, after evidence was collected from St. Joseph’s Hospital on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Cpl. B.K. Wright with the Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police, Wright was dispatched to St. Joseph’s Hospital on January 25, in reference to a domestic battery complaint.
On January 20, 2020, Gooden, the father of the female victim’s child, allegedly woke the victim up and began accusing her of taking his dope and syringe and of having people in the house while he was asleep, the file says.
“The victim stated once she informed [Gooden] that she did not know what he was talking about, [Gooden] picked up a slice of pizza that was laying nearby and rubbed it all over her face and hair,” Wright wrote in the complaint.
Then, Gooden allegedly grabbed the victim by her hair and slammed her to the floor, causing her to hit her face on the floor.
According to the complaint, “This is when the accused dropped his body weight and landed on her side causing injuries later found by doctors to be three broken ribs and a collapsed lung.”
The file says Wright found evidence of two prior domestic battery convictions, dated April 21, 2009, and Nov. 20, 2019.
Magistrate Kay Hurst set bail at $20,000 cash or surety, and Gooden was still listed on the Regional Jail website as of Tuesday afternoon.
The penalty for domestic battery third offense is confinement in a state correctional facility for one to five years or a fine of up to $2,500 or both.
