Ruston Police arrested a man Friday on multiple domestic abuse charges after he allegedly attacked his wife and pushed down two children.
Officers responded to a Lexington Street residence about 7:30 p.m. Friday. The victim said her husband punched her multiple times with a closed fist, strangled her to unconsciousness, and dragged her across the ground by her hair. She added he pushed down two of her children during the incident.
Officers saw obvious injuries to the victim’s face and marks on the face of one of the children.
The victim’s brother stated when he arrived, he saw the victim on the ground with Edward Sturgis, 34, straddling her and punching her in the face with closed fists. He said he tried to separate them, but Sturgis pushed him against a wall and threatened to kill the victim and the children.
The brother was able to grab three of the children at the scene and flee to a neighbor’s house. When he returned, Sturgis was dragging the victim by her hair across the carport trying to get her back in the house. She was able to escape and run to a neighbor’s house.
When interviewed, the neighbor said Sturgis was yelling and cursing at him.
Officers found Sturgis smelled of alcoholic beverages. He refused to give a statement.
Sturgis was arrested and booked for three counts of domestic abuse battery, simple battery, and disturbing the peace.
In April, Sturgis was arrested at the same residence for domestic abuse. The status of those charges was not immediately available.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
