An Umatilla woman was arrested after a neighbor reported seeing her “whaling” on a man during an argument, but both she and the alleged victim insist she didn’t strike him and his shoulder just dislocated itself.
Lynda Michelle Carrier, 32, was charged with battery (second or subsequent offense) after the incident, which happened around 8 a.m. Thursday. Carrier has a prior conviction for battery in Lake County in 2011.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of a verbal argument and alleged battery in progress. Upon arrival, he could hear a man and woman arguing inside the residence. The deputy knocked on the door and it was answered by the victim, who said he and Carrier were only having a verbal dispute, according to the sheriff’s office report.
While speaking with the victim, the deputy immediately observed raised scratches on his neck that appeared to have happened recently. Asked how they happened, he said they were from, “rough sex last night,” the report said.
The deputy asked the victim to have Carrier come outside and speak to him. While Carrier was coming out the door, the victim muttered, “Good Job Michelle,” under his breath and put his head down. Carrier also told the deputy there was no physical contact during the argument. She said she didn’t have any injuries, according to the report.
The deputy asked Carrier what she and the victim were fighting about. She said the victim had her phone and was on Facebook. Carrier said she wanted to use the phone and the victim “wanted to be a dick” and not let her use it. She again said nothing physical took place during the argument, the report said.
The deputy then spoke to the next-door neighbor who reported the incident. She said she and her 14-year-old son saw Carrier “whaling on the victim” outside the home. When asked to elaborate, the witness said Carrier was slapping and punching the victim, and he had his hands up yelling for her to stop, according to the report.
The witness said she also saw Carrier punch the victim in the back of the head. She said both Carrier and the victim went inside the residence and she heard the victim screaming in pain and yelling, “Help me, help me.” The witness said it sounded like the victim had been stabbed, the report said.
After being read her Miranda warning, Carrier said she and the victim were fighting over her phone, and as they both went to walk into the house, she turned around and pushed him back outside. She said the victim came inside anyway and they proceeded to argue. Carrier said at some point, the victim’s shoulder dislocated on its own and that is why he was screaming, according to the report.
The deputy asked the victim how his shoulder got dislocated, he said, “It just happens on its own,” the report said.
Carrier was taken to the Marion County Jail, where she was being held early Saturday on $2,500 bond. She’s due to appear in Marion County Court on Feb. 16.