An Umatilla man was charged with felony domestic battery Sunday after allegedly kicking a door closed on a woman’s head, causing her to need stitches.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy was called to assist the Umatilla Police Department in investigating a domestic altercation at a home on SE 249th Court Road. The deputy met up with the Umatilla officer who had responded to a home on Gregory Drive in reference to the victim’s injuries. The victim told the officer that she and 33-year-old Steven Michael Thomas live at the home on Court Road, and they got into a verbal argument in the bedroom, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said Thomas told her to leave the residence and they both ended up on the back porch, where Thomas threw her on the floor. The victim said she tried to make her way back into the house when Thomas kicked the door on her head, causing a 4-inch laceration that required stitches. She said her grandmother witnessed the incident, according to the report.
Thomas told the deputy he was awakened by the victim hitting him. He said he was intoxicated and could only remember being on the back porch and telling the victim she needed to leave the residence. Thomas said when the victim tried to go back into the residence, he kicked the door closed, accidentally hitting her in the head. He said he immediately provided aid to the victim, and that her grandmother also provided aid and called the victim’s mother, according to the report.
The victim’s grandmother said she heard Thomas and the victim arguing in the bedroom. She said by the time she got out of bed to investigate, Thomas and the victim were actively arguing on the porch. She said she saw the victim try to get back into the residence when Thomas kicked the door closed on her head. She said she applied bandages to the victim’s head and contacted the victim’s mother, who responded to the location and took her back to her residence on Gregory Drive, according to the report.
The deputy determined Thomas intentionally kicked the door while the victim was trying to enter, and by doing so caused significant injuries to her head. Thomas was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Monday on $2,500 bond. He’ll appear in Marion County Court on May 21.