OOLITIC – An Oolitic man was arrested after Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a report of a domestic fight early Tuesday morning.
Police arrested 40-year-old Richard Pedro, of Oolitic, on a charge of domestic battery in the presence of a child under the age of 16.
Central Dispatch received a call from a male in the apartment complex at 4:25 a.m. reporting the domestic dispute. The caller reported a couple was yelling and throwing things in the apartment next door.
Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Pruett along with Captain Blackburn and Sergeant Williams responded.
When police arrived they spoke to the male caller and heard a male yelling from apartment 25. Officers knocked on the door and a woman answered. Police say the woman appeared distraught. Officers told the woman why they were there and she told police that Pedro “was about to lose his mother and had been drinking”. She told police her children an 18-year-old and a 2-year-old were locked in the bathroom. Pedro was attempting to get into the bathroom and was beating on the bathroom door.
She told Pedro he was not getting in the room because the children were in there. He told the woman it was his house. She told police she was trying to keep Pedro out of jail so he could attend his mother’s funeral.
Police then spoke to Pedro. When police entered the apartment they noticed the apartment had “been trashed”, a table had been tipped over and a couple of doors were off the hinges.
Pedro told police he was attempting to get into the bathroom to go to bed and see his kids.
He told the officer he was about to lose his mother and he had been drinking and only had one kidney.
Pedro was then detained and escorted to a police vehicle.
The woman told police that when Pedro was attempting to get into the bathroom, he had grabbed her by the throat and left scratches on the left side of her throat. The scratches were caused by his ring.
The woman requested Pedro not be taken to jail because she wouldn’t be able to pay her bills without him and he didn’t need to be in jail but to seek mental health help.
The woman refused to further cooperate with police and refused to allow them to take photos of her injuries. She also refused to sign a battery affidavit.
Pedro was transported to the Lawrence County Security Center. He stated when he tried to go to bed the female would not let him and was blocking him from going to the bedroom. He told police he asked the woman to move several times but she refused. He then started to beat the door open. Pedro told police he never touched the woman.
The Department of Child Services was then alerted.
