Police arrested an Indianapolis man after a woman told them he beat her with a pistol and choked her at a Greenwood hotel.
Charles Darryl Preston, 43, was arrested on charges of domestic battery with a deadly weapon, domestic battery causing moderate bodily injury, strangulation and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, all felonies. He is being held without bond at the Johnson County jail.
Police were called about 8:30 a.m. Thursday to the Red Carpet Inn in Greenwood after a woman came to the hotel lobby, bleeding from the head, and told staff members Preston battered her, according to a report from the Greenwood Police Department. She said the incident occurred about 7 a.m. in one of Preston’s three hotel rooms, the report said.
A relative picked up the victim and took her to an Indianapolis hospital, where she was treated for her injuries, according to the report.
Police stopped Preston, who they found walking outside the hotel. He denied battering the woman, but said she came to one of his hotel rooms earlier that morning because she needed a place to stay, the report said.
Police tracked down the victim. She told police Preston hit her in the head two or three times with a black, 22 caliber pistol, which police later found in Preston’s car. She told police he also choked her, according to the report.
Police found blood on the mattress and bed sheets in the room where the incident happened. Police met with the victim later that day and noted bruising on her arms, face and neck, and a “very large gash” on the top, right side of her head, the report said.
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what, if any, charges to file.
