A woman called 911 Tuesday screaming she was being strangled, according to the Lenoir County Sheriff’s office.
As lawmen arrived, they were informed by the victim that the suspect, Vernon Barnes Jr., had fled the scene. A sheriff’s sergeant began taking the victim’s statement and an ambulance was called.
According to reports, “(The victim) had a small laceration to the inside of her lip she stated was caused by (Barnes) punching her. She requested EMS for lower stomach pains, at the time she was pregnant and due in a couple weeks. EMS arrived on scene and transported (the victim) to Lenoir Memorial Hospital for treatment.”
Barnes called communications and asked to speak to a deputy at another location. When deputies arrived, they arrested him because of injuries sustained by the victim.
At the hospital, the victim said she and Barnes got in an argument over folding clothes and he became angry, saying, “If it wasn’t for that baby I would have offed you by now,” and “When you have that baby I am going to kill you.”
The victim said she called her mother and was going to her residence, with the couple’s 2-year-old child, when she said Barnes took the child hit her in the back of the head, then in the mouth when she turned around.
According to the report, she said she fell to the ground and he kicked her in the stomach. When her uncle stepped in to her defense, she said Barnes unsuccessfully threw a cinderblock in her direction.
Barnes admitted to arguing with the victim, but denied assaulting her, saying she fell and injured her lip.
He was charged with assault on a female, battery of an unborn child and communicating threats and confined without bond at the Lenoir County Detention Center.
Barnes has a 2010 conviction for assault on a female and served October 2011-September 2012 in state prison on convictions for felony breaking and entering and felony larceny of firearms.
Barnes is due in Lenoir County District Court on Dec. 20.