ANDERSON, Ind. -- A 26-year-old Anderson man has been charged after he reportedly beat a pregnant woman during an argument last month.
According to court documents, filed in Madison County in mid-June, Tracy Coles has been charged with:
- One count of criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, a Level 3 felony
- One count of domestic battery with bodily injury to a pregnant woman, a Level 5 felony
- One count of strangulation where the victim is pregnant, a Level 5 felony
- One count of intimidation where the defendant draws or uses a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony
On June 8, officers from the Anderson Police Department were called to a home in reference to a domestic dispute. When officers arrived, they found a pregnant woman in an ambulance with medics who was later taken to a local hospital.
According to the documents, she told officers that she had gotten into an argument with a man she had been in a relationship with, later identified as Coles. The woman told police that she had confronted Coles about having a relationship with another person when she looked at his phone.
After an initial argument, the documents said it turned physical after Coles demanded the woman unlock her phone to see if she sent herself any of the conversations that Coles had on his own phone. Coles reportedly pushed the woman in the head and would not let her leave the back door after he stood in front of it.
The woman then ran to their bedroom and held the door shut before Coles "overpowered her and forced his way into the room." After asking Coles to not hit her, the documents state that Coles punched the woman in the head with a closed fist and was hit in the arms and the sides.
The woman went to the ground and Coles began to kick her. The documents state that Coles reportedly told the woman that he would not stop until she unlocked her phone.
At one point, the woman told police that Coles held his hand over her nose and mouth, which she said made her feel like she couldn't breathe. The woman also said that Coles reportedly grabbed a pair of scissors out of the dresser and put them to her neck, stating he would "killer her and if she didn't open her phone, he would stab her."
After Coles reportedly battered the woman, the woman called a family member without him knowing. When the family member came to the home, they began "banging on the door," which is when Coles left the home.
In an interview with Coles, he said when they began fighting, he was not trying to hurt her or the baby, stressing that they were "only wrestling and not hitting." Coles claimed that he also had injuries, but did not meet with police in person to show them. Coles also denied holding a pair of scissors to the woman's neck.
According to court documents, Coles had his initial hearing in Madison County court on Wednesday afternoon. Other court documents filed in Madison County also indicate that the state intends to seek habitual offender status for Cole.