NEWPORT — A Newport man pled not guilty in Orleans County Superior Court on Wednesday to charges of first-degree aggravated domestic assault and second-degree aggravated domestic assault with a prior conviction, after he allegedly ran over his girlfriend’s arm on the Airport Road in Coventry, after the couple had a fight.
Police received a 911 call made by the victim from the office at the landfill, where she had fled after being left behind after the incident.
According to an affidavit, the victim told police that she and Jason Hartley, age 40, were headed to buy heroin at a residence in Orleans, when they began fighting over the amount of gas the victim had put in the vehicle. The victim stated that she guessed that Hartley had punched her about ten times in the face, throat, arms, and legs.
The affidavit states that when police arrived to speak with the victim, they observed dried blood on her face, and a cut on the inside of her lip. It also states that her arm was swollen and bruised, after Hartley allegedly slowed down to about 2 miles per hour, and told the victim to get out of the vehicle.
The victim told police that she opened the door to get out, and Hartley told her not to, but as she stepped out she fell and the rear passenger tire ran over her left arm. She told police that at one point she was on her stomach being dragged as the vehicle continued moving. Hartley then left the scene once the victim was completely out of the car.
When police went to question Hartley at his apartment over The Tavern in Newport, he said that the fight was verbal only, and that the victim’s injuries must have resulted from her jumping out of the vehicle, which according to the affidavit, he told police was traveling around 5 miles per hour. He also stated that he drove around looking for the victim afterward.
Bail was set at $15,000. If convicted of the charges against him, Hartley could face up to 20 years in prison.
