A Reddick man was arrested recently after a woman claimed he forced her to take part in a bizarre ritual aimed at ridding her of demons.
The victim told Marion County sheriff’s deputies that she had been involved in a domestic dispute with 46-year-old Eric Douglas Heinemann throughout the day. She said he “anointed her with honey” then made her take a shower to “baptize her.” She also claimed he hit her in the head multiple times in an attempt to “cast demons out of her,” a sheriff’s office report states.
The victim said she attempted to call Heinemann’s mother after getting out of the shower but he wrestled the phone out of her hand and knocked her down, caused her to hit her head on the floor. Deputies noted a medium-sized knot forming on the back of the woman’s head, the report says.
After being read his rights, Heinemann initially claimed he didn’t remember the incident. He then admitted he may have pushed or hit the victim but said he didn’t remember exactly what had happened, the report says.
Heinemann was transported to the Marion County Jail and charged with domestic battery and probation violations. He was being held on no bond and is due in court April 21 to answer to the charges.
Heinemann also was arrested in August 2019 for allegedly throwing a woman out of their residence during an argument. He had spent two months in jail for a domestic battery incident prior to that arrest.