RICHMOND, IN — A Richmond man is accused of punching a female acquaintance in the face, in the process inflicting bone fractures.
Ian Thomas Hale, 24, is charged in Wayne Superior Court 1 with domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison.
According to Richmond police, Hale on Thursday, July 23, acknowledged striking the woman in the face, saying she had threatened him with a knife.
The 20-year-old woman said she had armed herself with a knife “in self defense” while fighting with Hale. She said he gained control of the knife, and she at first thought he had used it to stab her in the face, according to an affidavit.
However, her injuries — including a cut to her lip and “significant swelling and bruising around her right eye” — appeared to indicate the woman was punched in the face.
A nurse at Reid Hospital told police the woman would undergo surgery “to repair the orbital area of her eye,” and an officer also wrote that Hale had “fractured the right side of (the woman’s) face.”
Hale, who police said had a “bruised and swollen hand,” was also taken to the Richmond hospital. An officer said Hale “appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic substance,” and he eventually admitted he had recently ingested meth.
Meth and marijuana were found in the home in the 300 block of North Ninth Street, where Hale had been staying and the attack allegedly took place.
Hale was also charged with possession of meth, a Level 6 felony with a maximum 30-month sentence, and possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor.
The Richmond man continued to be held in the Wayne County Jail on Tuesday under a $40,000 bond.
In June, he was convicted of possession of meth in Wayne Superior Court 1.
The former Muncie resident has also been convicted of criminal trespass, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Richmond man accused of fracturing female acquaintance’s facial bones
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Richmond Palladium-Item / Richmond Palladium-Item
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Douglas Walker, Richmond Palladium-Item | USA TODAY Network
