BEDFORD — A Bedford man was taken into custody Wednesday evening after allegedly assaulting his estranged wife inside their shared residence, leaving her with visible facial and arm injuries.
Stephen R. Hettle, 51, was arrested by the Bedford Police Department and faces a charge of domestic battery.
The arrest followed a walk-in report filed at the police station by the victim earlier that afternoon.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Officer Joshua Turner, the female victim arrived at the Bedford Police Department lobby at approximately 2:38 p.m. to report a domestic battery.
The victim stated that local police officers had been dispatched to the couple’s 30th Street home earlier that morning regarding an unrelated civil issue. The couple has been separated for roughly a year but continues to live in separate quarters of the same house.
According to her statement, as soon as the initial responding officers left the scene, Stephen Hettle became highly aggressive, shouting epithets at her and stating, “I’ll make you disappear.” Following the verbal tirade, Stephen briefly left the property.
The situation escalated dramatically when Stephen returned to the home at approximately 11:00 a.m. The victim, who was inside her closet at the time, reported hearing him loudly slamming objects throughout the house. Stephen then located her in the closet and began shoving her multiple times.
The victim told police that Stephen violently shoved her to the floor, causing immediate pain to her back and left hip. As she attempted to escape, Stephen allegedly continued to push and grab her while she was on the ground. During the struggle, his hand struck the left side of her face, causing localized pain, redness, and swelling around her left eye. He also grabbed her forcefully by the arms, resulting in pain and visible bruising to the back of her left arm.
Following the physical encounter, Stephen allegedly subjected her to further verbal abuse before leaving the residence a second time. The victim remained isolated in her room out of fear before traveling to the police station.
During the interview, responding officers documented the victim’s physical injuries. Photographic evidence of the swelling around her eye and the bruising on her arm was taken and uploaded into the police incident file.
The victim completed a formal domestic battery affidavit, a medical information release, and a domestic violence lethality screening. Police personnel provided her with a resource card for the RBR Alliance and detailed instructions on how to secure a protective order.
At approximately 8:13 p.m. that same evening, Stephen Hettle arrived at the Bedford Police Department to speak with an officer regarding the morning’s civil dispute.
After discussing the civil matter, Officer Turner redirected the conversation to the domestic battery allegations and read Hettle his Miranda warnings. Hettle initially stated he understood his rights but did not wish to speak with the officer. Officer Turner then placed Hettle under arrest and moved him to the jail intake room.
While in processing, Hettle changed his mind and indicated he wanted to discuss the reasons for his arrest. Officer Turner read him his Miranda warnings a second time, and Hettle agreed to waive them.
During the subsequent interview, Hettle denied all allegations of violence. He claimed that after the morning’s police response, he left the residence without arguing. He stated he only returned to the house briefly to retrieve a forgotten pair of eyeglasses. Hettle claimed he saw his estranged wife sitting cross-legged in the master bedroom closet but asserted he never spoke to her or touched her, maintaining she simply shut the door behind him as he left.
Officer Turner advised Hettle that, due to the signed domestic battery affidavit and the visible physical injuries matching the victim’s account, he was being booked into custody. Hettle was subsequently transported to the Lawrence County Jail for housing.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the probable cause affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
