BUCKHANNON – A Webster County man was arrested for allegedly attempting to strangle a woman while holding a pair of scissors.
John J. Hamrick, 45, of Webster Springs, was arrested Sunday for strangulation, a felony; domestic assault, a misdemeanor; and domestic battery, a misdemeanor.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office filed by investigating officer Cpl. Tyler Gordon with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, Sept. 27, Gordon and Sr. P.J. Trooper Robinette with the Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police responded to a third-party 911 call regarding an active physical domestic altercation.
The caller told the Upshur County E911 Communication Center that Hamrick was inside a residence on Angler Street. When officers arrived on scene, they detained Hamrick as he was attempting to get in a vehicle outside the residence. Gordon spoke with a witness, the mother of the female victim, who said she saw Hamrick allegedly grab and squeeze the victim.
The file says the mother of the victim then left the room and returned with her cellphone, stating she was going to call the police.
The victim’s mother told police the victim screamed to not call the police because Hamrick had scissors in his hand, while allegedly threatening her. According to the report, the victim said Hamrick became upset when she stated she would not go back to Webster Springs with him.
The victim told law enforcement Hamrick allegedly grabbed her and held her down on the bed with his hands pushing on her throat and chest, Gordon wrote in the complaint.
The victim said while Hamrick allegedly put pressure on her neck and chest, it was difficult to breathe; she also stated Hamrick allegedly held scissors in his hand during the altercation, so she feared for her life and her mother’s.
Bail was set at $75,000.
The potential penalty for a conviction of strangulation is a fine of not more than $2,500, confinement in a state correctional facility for one to five years or both. The potential penalty for a conviction domestic assault is confinement for not more than six months, a fine of not more than $100 or both. The potential penalty for a conviction of domestic battery is confinement for not more than 12 months, a fine of up to $500 or both.
