FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — A man is in custody after allegedly hitting a woman in the knee with a bat in Marion County and then hiding from police in a closet.
On Aug. 13, officers with the Fairmont Police Department responded to a residence in Fairmont due to a call of an incident occurring, according to the criminal complaint.
When officers arrived, they were informed that Van Rice, 35, of Fairmont, had struck a woman “in the knee with a baseball bat,” officers said.
The victim stated that Rice “was acting erratically” and she “believed him to be under the influence of a controlled substance.” After clearing the residence, officers found Rice “hiding in an upstairs bedroom closet”; they said he “was clearly impaired, wearing no clothing and unable to balance or control his own movements,” according to the complaint.
Rice has been charged with malicious wounding. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $100,012 bond.