OCEAN CITY — A Smithsburg, Md. man was arrested on first-degree assault and false imprisonment charges last weekend after allegedly assaulting his fiancé and holding her against her will at an uptown condo.
Around 5:20 p.m. last Sunday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a condo building on 123rd Street for a reported assault in progress. Upon arrival, the officer was waved down by several bystanders who reported there was an assault in one of the units and that it was possibly still going on.
OCPD officers entered the unit and observed a female victim with lacerations on her face. According to police reports, the lacerations were covered with fresh blood and the victim also had bruises on both of her arms. The victim told police her assailant, identified as Justin Hess, 34, of Smithsburg, Md., was her fiancé and they were staying together in the unit.
The victim told police she and Hess got into a verbal argument when Hess overheard her talking about another man she found attractive on the beach. The victim told police the verbal altercation had escalated to the point she told Hess to stay out of the unit when they got back to their condo.
According to police reports, the victim went into a bedroom at the condo and Hess followed her, locking the door and telling her she was now his hostage, according to police reports. The victim told police Hess said if she tried to leave, he would kill her. Hess then allegedly dragged the victim by her hair through the bedroom and bathroom area of the condo, according to police reports.
The victim told police Hess held her down on the bed with his knees and grabbed a fork from the kitchen and began hitting her on the side with it. According to police reports, the victim told officers she was genuinely scared for her life and believed Hess was going to kill her.
Hess then reportedly grabbed the victim’s throat with both hands and began choking her to the point she nearly lost consciousness. According to police reports, while the victim was speaking with officers, she continually pulled loose hair from her head, which was allegedly the result of Hess dragging her around the condo.
When Hess was interviewed, he acknowledged he became angry when the victim made a comment about another man on the beach being attractive and that an argument had ensued at the condo. However, he denied doing anything physical to the victim. However, the officer observed lacerations on his hand with fresh blood. Based on the statements from the victim and the witness, along with the physical evidence, Hess was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and false imprisonment.