Englewood Officers Arrest Man, Woman for Domestic Violence Dispute Witnessed by Young Child
By Travis Tormey posted in Domestic Violence on Monday, June 24, 2013
Two (2) Englewood police officers scaled a fire escape to stop a man from beating his girlfriend in front of her six-year-old son.
When officers responded to a burglary alarm at an East Palisade Avenue business in Englewood, they had no idea that a domestic dispute was occurring on a balcony above the business. Upon arriving at the scene, the officers looked up to see 29-year-old Donovan Brantley Hall assaulting his 36-year-old live-in girlfriend as her young son looked on.
The officers immediately sprung into action and climbed up the fire escape to intervene. They found the woman suffering from an injury to her mouth. Thankfully, the young boy was not physically hurt, although he was extremely upset.
According to police, both Mr. Hall and his girlfriend were highly intoxicated at the time of the incident. Mr. Hall also violently resisted the officers, necessitating backup to be called in.
Mr. Hall was charged with domestic violence assault, resisting arrest, and second degree child endangerment.
The woman and her child were taken to police headquarters. Unfortunately, the woman refused to cooperate with officers. She was eventually charged with fourth degree child neglect.
In New Jersey, assault is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1. According to the statute, a person is guilty of simple assault if he or she causes bodily injury to another person. If Mr. Hall is convicted on the assault charge, he could receive a sentence of up to six (6) months in county jail.
After the arrest, Mr. Hall was being held at the Bergen County Jail on $56,500.00 bail. The mother was released that evening on a summons. The boy was placed with a relative after police contacted the state’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “Englewood Police Arrest Mother, Boyfriend After Drunken Beating in Front of Boy, 6.“
