A 32-year-old Festus man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 28-year-old Union woman he was living with in a tent behind the Circle K gas station in Arnold. The woman allegedly had visible scratches on her chest but did not require medical attention, Arnold Police reported.
A clerk from the gas station, 1980 Richardson Road, called Arnold Police at about 6:40 p.m. May 22 and said the man and woman had been in the convenience store and the woman gave the clerk a note that said, “He did it again, my rib is busted,” and asked the clerk to call the woman’s mother to pick her up. The employee told police the two had been living in a tent behind the gas station for a couple of days, the report said.
When officers arrived at the gas station, the man and woman allegedly told them they were homeless and had been together for about a year. The officers said the woman appeared to be scared of the man and was holding her left side and arm, according to the report.
The woman told officers the man had scratched her upper chest that morning after accusing her of cheating on him. The officers arrested the man took him to the Police Station, where he was booked and held for 12 hours, the report said.
Cpl. Brett Ackermann said the man was released with a summons to appear in Arnold Municipal Court for alleged fourth-degree assault.
Ackermann said he did not know if the woman’s mother came to pick her up, but he said officers gave the woman information about organizations that help people who are dealing with domestic violence and abusive relationships.