A Nashville man was arrested and later charged with a felony after police say he punched a woman repeatedly after an argument about dirty dishes.
Sgt. Bill Southerland with the Brown County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of battery in the 1700 block of Owl Creek Road on May 1 and found Joseph E. Richardson, 42, standing on the front porch.
As Southerland was walking up to the porch, he heard Richardson say that he didn’t care who it was, whether a man or a woman, if someone “swings” at him he is going to beat them, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When Southerland asked him to repeat what he said, Richardson did, and added that the woman had hit him first, the affidavit said.
The homeowner was on the porch with Richardson, and behind him in the house was the woman with blood covering her face. When asked to come outside, the woman requested assistance since she was blind in her right eye from a previous injury, according to the affidavit.
Southerland reported the victim’s left eye was black and swollen shut. She told Southerland she and Richardson had been in an argument about dirty dishes. The woman said she took a swing at Richardson, but did not hit him.
The homeowner said Richardson started punching the woman in the face and then fell to the floor where Richardson had spilled a bottle of soap. The witness said Richardson continued to hit the woman after she was on the floor and that he attempted to separate the two, but also slipped on the soap that was on the floor.
After separating them, the homeowner called police.
Richardson was arrested. Southerland reported the woman also had a bloody nose and mouth, along with a cut on the top of her head.
He was charged May 2 with battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a Level 6 felony, and disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor.
