A Carter County man faces charges after police say he assaulted his wife and injured his children with a belt.
Officers of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joseph Raymer, 36, of 351 Highway 91, Apt. C4, Elizabethton, on Tuesday and charged him with domestic assault, child abuse, resisting arrest and evading arrest.
Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, CCSO Deputy Joshua Hopkins met with a woman who wanted to file a police report at the Carter County Sheriff’s Office. In his report, Hopkins noted the woman had scratches on both sides of her neck and she had marks on her nose which was swollen and bleeding.
The woman said her husband, whom she identified as Raymer, had called her at work at 12:30 that morning and said “he had beat their children badly with a belt,” Hopkins said.
“(The woman) stated she then left work and went home to find both of her children upset and crying,” Hopkins said. “(The woman) stated when she arrived home her daughter (name withheld) had ‘large welts on her butt and legs.’”
Hopkins said the woman had brought her children with her to the Sheriff’s Office and he was able to see the daughter’s injuries “(The daughter) had bruising on both legs along with cuts and scratches,” Hopkins said. “(She) had belt marks across her back, left hip, left buttocks, and on both lower legs. There was scratches and bruising on her arm as well. (Her) right upper leg and hip had severe bruising on it and appeared to have been struck repeatedly.”
The woman’s son was also with her and she said Raymer had whipped her son with a belt also.
“(The son) stated his daddy had beat his sister badly with a belt,” Hopkins said, adding the son also had a bruise on his side.
The woman gave the officer a belt which she said her husband had used to strike the children.
“The belt had hard, silver, half-circle decorations on it which appeared to be consistent with all the markings on (the daughter’s) leg,” Hopkins said. “(The woman) also showed me a text from Joseph that stated ‘U better get home now I just beat them both down with a belt bad.’”
The woman told the officer her husband had also assaulted her Tuesday morning.
“(She) stated when she tried to leave this morning that Joseph pushed her up against the wall and choked her,” Hopkins said. “She stated she then broke free and he punched her in the face with a closed fist.”
Hopkins obtained a warrant for Raymer’s arrest charging him with domestic assault and child abuse and on Tuesday afternoon he and other officers went to Raymer’s home to serve the warrant.
“Mr. Raymer refused to come to the door and after approximately 15 minutes of knocking and announcing our presence we heard a noise come from the back window,” Hopkins said. “Mr. Raymer jumped out of the window and ran into the woods.”
After a short chase and search, officers located Raymer and placed him under arrest, but Hopkins said the man began to struggle with officers and yell profanities. Officers transported him to the Carter County Detention Center to be booked in.
“While at the jail Mr. Raymer continued to yell profanities and did not want to cooperate,” Hopkins said. “Mr. Raymer also yelled ‘All I did was whip her with a g****** belt to teach her some f****** respect.’”
On Wednesday morning, Raymer was arraigned in Carter County General Sessions Court. Judge Keith Bowers Jr. appointed the Public Defender’s Office to represent Raymer and ordered the man to have no contact with the victims in the case.