Headlines for the Week of Nov. 10

Florida Man Jumps from Moving Car After Hitting Wife in Face

During a police chase on Monday, a man suddenly threw himself from his speeding car, leaving his wife and three children trapped inside as the driverless vehicle barreled down the highway. Albert Searcy, 46, was on Highway 79 in Florida heading to Louisiana when Searcy and his wife got into an argument. The couple’s daughter called 911 from the backseat, but her father allegedly struck her and took her phone away. However, Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies were able to be dispatched to their location. 

When deputies tried to pull over the car, Searcy opened the driver’s door and jumped from the moving vehicle, suffering injuries but surviving. Searcy’s wife was able to climb over the console of the still-traveling car and stop the vehicle before she or her three minor children could be injured. 

Deputies on scene saw that the mother, Heather, had signs of a physical assault to her face. She told police she had asked her husband to "stop the vehicle and allow her and the children to exit," but he repeatedly refused. He faces charges of domestic violence battery, child abuse and false imprisonment, among others. 

Children caught in the middle of a relationship where one parent is abusive toward the other are often at high risk for being direct victims of abuse themselves. 

“A large body of research shows that someone likely to abuse their ex- or current spouse is much more likely to abuse children as well,” says Kathleen Russell, executive director of the Center for Judicial Excellence, an organization working to strengthen the family court system to help protect vulnerable children, in “Kids Caught In the Crossfire.”

In cases where a child is killed in a household where an abuser is perpetrating domestic violence, “It’s often an extension of the power and control dynamic found so often in domestic violence relationships,” she adds. 

Childhood trauma can have lifelong effects on the physical and mental health of an adult. Knowing your own adverse childhood experiences, or ACE score—as well as your child’s—can help intervene sooner and get all members of the family the support they need. To learn more, read, “Ask Amanda: How Much Does My ACE Score Matter?”

Source: People.com

Maryland Man Released from Jail for DV, Returns Immediately to Assault Same Woman

A man in Maryland was arrested for domestic violence only to be released hours later and return to attack the same victim again. James Bowman III was arrested on Nov. 8 after he punched a woman in the face and bit her hand at her home. He was arrested but released later on personal recognizance. One hour later, around 1 a.m. on the 9th, he returned to the woman’s home and forced open her front door. He attacked her while she was holding a child. The toddler was also reportedly hit by Bowman. 

The woman was able to break free from the offender, lock herself and the child in a room and call 911. Officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s office observed blood and visible injuries on both the woman and child when they arrived, and both were treated by EMS. Bowman is now, finally, being held without bond. 

A sadly similar case happened in Arizona back in September when a Tucson man was released from jail while awaiting trial for strangling his girlfriend, only to return to her house and murder her. Domestic violence is rarely an isolated incident and, unfortunately, courts too often underestimate the seriousness of an abuser’s threats. Threats often escalate when an abuser feels like they are losing control, such as when a survivor sets boundaries, seeks help or tries to leave.  

“That loss of power can trigger violent retaliation,” says Kelly Sutliff, a licensed professional counselor, in “Why Threats In a Relationship Should Be Taken Seriously.”

“What started as verbal threats can rapidly turn into stalking, financial sabotage or physical violence." 

For more information read, “Will Domestic Abuse Happen Again?”

Source: TheRoot.com

Phoenix Woman Killed by Boyfriend With Chainsaw

Another woman trying to leave her abusive partner was violently murdered before she could get away. Last Friday morning in Phoenix, Ariz., 47-year-old Jeffrey Rael was found in the home of his girlfriend, 31-year-old Paxton Wallace. Rael, found in the kitchen, was armed with a hammer and a blood-soaked chainsaw. Court documents say that Wallace’s body was nearly unrecognizable. Rael confessed to killing his girlfriend, telling police he had to because she was possessed. 

Wallace’s family told local media that the young woman had been trying to leave the relationship with Rael for some time.

“She was trying to get out. She was trying to reach out for help. There’s, there are shelters, there are places, but there’s a wait list. There’s a lottery. It’s a hope you get in,” said Tiffany Wallace, Paxton’s aunt.

The unfortunate reality is that there are simply more requests for emergency shelter than there are resources across the U.S. In a single day in 2021, more than 6,000 requests across the country for housing and shelter went unmet. Survivors who cannot get into an emergency shelter are encouraged to connect to a trained domestic violence advocate regardless. An advocate can help create a safety plan, file for an order of protection if that fits the situation, or possibly brainstorm other safe places to escape to in the meantime. Read “Finding a Safe Place” for more information. 

While leaving an abusive partner is notoriously the most dangerous time—it’s when the abuser feels like they are losing control—abuse cannot be blamed on mental illness. It is still a choice abusers make. Survivors are not responsible for stay to help the abuser. Getting to safety first should be the top priority, and then a survivor can help connect their former partner with mental health help if they so choose. 

Source: AZFamily.com

Sextortion Scheme Blamed for Man Murdering His Wife

An Ohio man is blaming a sextortion scheme for the reason why he killed his wife on Sunday. James Hill, 76, of Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, says he had been speaking to a woman through an online dating app and the two had exchanged explicit photos. It’s unclear if the two ever met in person. Hill then said the woman demanded $15,000 in Apple gift cards or she would release the nude photos. Hill says he felt his only way out was to kill kill himself as well as his wife. 

He stabbed his wife, Mary Kathleen Hill, 64, in the chest, with a kitchen knife before also trying to stab his dog, who ran away. James then stabbed himself in the chest and called 911 briefly, only to supply his address. James survived his injuries and faces felony charges of premeditated aggravated murder. 

Revenge porn, or sextortion, while used for financial gain in this case, is also a tactic abusers often use to to harness power and control over their partners. Luckily, most states have laws banning the unauthorized distribution of explicit images without their subjects’subject’s consent. Before panicking about unauthorized images being distributed, victims should speak to their local law enforcement.

On another note, some 3,000 women are killed in their homeshome every year by a domestic partner, and that number is thought to be higher as many abusers try to make murders look like a suicide. If your partner is abusive, or you feel like their controlling or otherwise suspicious or uncomfortable behavior has been escalating of late, a danger assessment can help you predict the level of danger you’re in. 

Sources: ABC6 and NYPost.com