CEDAR CITY, Utah, Dec. 22, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A Cedar City man is under arrest after allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend and tearing out her hair.
A probable cause statement from the 5th District Court of Cedar City said Jose Carlos Hernandez, 22, is facing charges of:
- Aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- Assault of a pregnant person, a class A misdemeanor
- Assault, a class B misdemeanor
- Three charges of commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child, a class B misdemeanor
- Interference with an arresting office, a class B misdemeanor
On Thursday just before 11:30 p.m., the arresting officer was dispatched to a domestic dispute in progress in the area of 1000 W. Brook St. in Cedar City. The initial information was that Hernandez and his girlfriend were hitting each other, the statement said.
“I was then advised Jose was drunk and his girlfriend is pregnant,” the statement said. “I was advised by dispatch Jose had a knife.
“I arrived on scene with other officers and located Jose and his mother at the front door. Jose still had the knife in his hand and his mother was holding him back. His mother was advised to step away multiple times. Jose was told repeatedly to drop the knife.”
Hernandez failed to do so and his mother stepped away. The arresting officer deployed his Taser at Hernandez, but the suspect did not drop the knife or fall. Another officer then deployed her Taser and Hernandez dropped the knife and fell to the ground, then was taken into custody.
His mother told officers that Hernandez and his girlfriend were fighting over him being with a runaway female juvenile and accusing the two of having sex with one another.
His mother said he was trying to get keys from his girlfriend and he began attacking his girlfriend. The suspect’s sister tried breaking up the fight and she was pushed, the statement said. During the fight Hernandez had retrieved a knife and had it in his hands during the altercation, his mother told officials.
“His girlfriend is currently pregnant with Jose’s child, and during the fight a large portion of her hair was ripped from her scalp,” the statement said. His sister also said there were three children upstairs during the altercation and they could hear it taking place.
His mother also told officials Hernandez allegedly went to the door with the knife to wait for officers to arrive “wanting to do a suicide by police,” the statement said.
Hernandez was checked by medical on scene and then transported to the Cedar City Hospital for further evaluation. He was then cleared and transported to the Iron County Jail, where he’s being held without bail.
