A 34-year-old Brandon Township resident who chased after a woman fleeing from him and was witnessed striking her in the snow before dragging her back to their shared home has been arraigned on multiple charges.
Toby James McCoy was arraigned March 7 on one count of felonious assault and one count of domestic violence, third offense, in front of 52-2 District Court Judge Kelley Kostin. During a preliminary exam March 29, a third count of unlawful imprisonment was added against McCoy. The case has been bound over to Circuit Court, where McCoy will be arraigned April 18 on the charges in front of Judge Colleen O’Brien.
According to police reports, Brandon deputies responded at 4:29 a.m., March 6, to the area of Dogwood and Wildwood Loop in the Sashabaw Meadows Mobile Home Park after receiving two 9-1-1 calls from witnesses reporting a possible assault in progress.
The second caller met a deputy outside of his residence in the 4300 block of Hazel Court. He told the deputy he observed a man, later identified as McCoy, standing over a woman clad only in a towel and swinging at her as she lay in the snow. He heard the woman screaming for help and yelled to the man and woman that he was calling 9-1-1.
The deputy approached the home where the suspect and victim were believed to be, and could hear a woman sobbing uncontrollably, as well as a man yelling, ‘Shut up! Don’t say anything! Shut up!?
Backup deputies arrived and after three episodes of knocking on the door, the man later identified as McCoy answered the door. He was pretending to be sleepy and unaware of why the deputies were there. He was handcuffed and advised he was being detained for an assault investigation. The deputy asked where the woman was and McCoy loudly proclaimed, ‘I love you (victim’s name).?
The deputy found the victim sobbing and scared. Her skin was red with irritation and she had visible marks on her throat, arms, stomach, back and legs. She declined medical treatment, but immediately told the deputy that McCoy had held a knife to her throat and tried to stab her. She had pain in multiple locations on her body because of the assault and also had matured bruising from an assault two days earlier.
While the deputy was speaking to the woman, McCoy could be heard from another room calling to her with statements including ‘I love you,? ‘Tell them I didn’t hurt you,? and ‘Be honest, tell them the truth.?
The deputy asked the other deputy to remove McCoy from the residence and put him in the patrol car. The woman then calmed down and explained that while McCoy was at work (he was on work release) she had left the home to help a friend with a flat tire. When she returned home, he was waiting and an argument ensued. She is in the midst of leaving him and tensions have been high. The majority of her belongings are packed and ready to move. She tried to stop the argument by going to the bedroom, but he followed. When she thought the argument was over, she got in the shower, but he entered the bathroom and tore down the shower curtain and rod, breaking it. McCoy then left the room and returned with a butcher knife, telling her she was ‘going to die.?
The woman recounted that he choked her, held the knife to her chest, said, ‘Say your prayers,? and then held the knife above her chest and told her he was going to put it right through her heart. She begged him to stop, pleading that she had a child, and McCoy put the knife against her throat, making more threats and after more shoving and grabbing, the woman managed to run out the door, clutching only a towel. He chased her down and put her over his shoulder, taking her back in the home. As deputies arrived, he reminded her that he has children.
Victims of domestic violence can seek help at HAVEN. Details: 248-334-1284.