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Linton man to appear in court after allegedly battering wife

A 58-year-old Linton man has been summoned to appear in Greene Superior Court on Feb. 8 following an incident on Dec. 13 in which he allegedly battered his wife. 

A summons to appear in court was issued to Timothy J. Hale on Dec. 18. This came after a Dec. 13 incident in which he allegedly shoved his wife, causing her to hit her head on a counter and injure her arm. 

According to a probable cause affidavit written by Greene County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Michael Stanley, he was dispatched to a County Road 200 North residence regarding a domestic situation. A female victim advised Greene County Dispatch that her husband shoved her, which caused her to hit her head on a counter. She alleged she also injured her arm. She told Dispatch she’d gone to a health clinic where she was advised to file a police report. She noted she only wanted the incident documented and that she did not want to pursue charges. 

Stanley arrived on the scene with Deputy Caleb Sipes and Reserve Deputies Bobby Just and Todd Chimel. According to the probable cause, the victim told officers when she returned home from work, Hale was already there as he’d been sick. She said one of her children had been home sick as well and had been vomiting. She alleged Hale wanted to give her child Zofran, a prescription anti-nausea medication, he’d gotten from a friend. The victim said she told Hale she did not want her child taking the medication. 

She alleged that as soon as she returned home from work, Hale started yelling at her about why she would not allow him to give the medicine to the child. She told officers she asked him to go outside rather than get in a fight. According to the probable cause affidavit, she alleged he punched a bottle of soda on the kitchen counter and came toward where she was in the room. She said she told him he needed to leave, but he said he wasn’t leaving. She said she kept telling him to leave, but he puffed his chest up, yelled profanities, and continued to move toward her. When she stopped moving backward, the victim alleged Hale shoved her backward and into the kitchen counter. She said she fell backward, hit her head on the countertop, and hit her arm on the ground hard enough to have it evaluated at a health clinic. She said she had to return to the clinic for an X-ray as the X-ray technician wasn’t available when she went in. Stanley wrote in the probable cause affidavit that he observed a black and purple bruise forming in the middle part of her forearm. 

According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim ran to the bedroom after she was shoved. She said she locked the door, but said Hale gained entry by “busting the door”. Stanley wrote he observed damage to the door trim and latch area. She alleged Hale also punched the wall upon gaining entry to the bedroom. She said she ran into the closet when Hale entered the bedroom. 

Deputy Chimel spoke with a witness who will be referred to as Witness 1. According to the probable cause affidavit, Witness 1 said he had been sick when Hale told him about a medication called Zofran that would help with his nausea. Witness 1 said the victim did not want him taking anything until she returned from work to check on him. When she arrived home, Witness 1 said Hale was mad that she would not allow him to administer the medication. Witness 1 alleged Hale and the witness got into it and said Hale “shoved her back a little bit”. He said he shoved her again, this time harder and into the countertop. He told the officer he saw Hale follow the victim to the bedroom where Hale allegedly damaged the door to gain access to the room. Witness 1 said he’d never seen Hale this angry before. 

A second witness, who will be referred to as Witness 2, claimed she was not sure of the exact details of the argument, but knew it was over a medication Hale wanted to administer. She said she didn’t want to listen to the two argue, so she went outside for a walk. When Witness 2 came back inside, according to the probable cause affidavit, she said the victim was holding her arm. 

A third witness, who will be referred to as Witness 3, alleged he didn’t see anything as he was in the basement of the house. He said he heard “crashing” and a lot of footsteps moving toward the bedroom. He alleged he could hear a lot of profanity and screaming. He told officers the incident was the worst it’s been, noting Hale normally just “screams a lot”. 

Before officers left the residence, the victim said she was not looking to pursue charges, she just wanted it to be documented in a report. 

According to the probable cause affidavit, Deputy Stanley attempted to contact Hale but was unsuccessful. He left a voicemail asking him to return the call. Later in the evening on Dec. 13, Hale returned Stanley’s call. 

When asked to explain what had happened earlier in the evening, Hale, according to the probable cause affidavit, said the victim wasn’t happy with him wanting to provide her child with the anti-nausea medication. Hale told Stanley “basically we never fight”. He alleged the victim got in his face, turning it into more of an argument. He said she got too close and he “pushed her away”. He alleged it seemed as if she did a “flop number. It seemed as if she wanted hurt”. When she fell, he said she hit a rug and her forearm hit the floor. He said he asked her why she did that and she said she wanted him to get his things and get out. 

Per the probable cause affidavit, Hale told Stanley he was not the kind of guy who normally does this sort of thing and felt bad that it happened. He said he had left the residence since the victim had requested such and said he did not plan on returning. He alleged the victim told him to hit her while smiling at him, and he refused. 

He again told Stanley, per the probable cause affidavit, that she was in his space and he just pushed her back. He alleged it was odd that when he pushed her she appeared to do “a flop” and hit her arm against the cabinet or door. He said she then went to the bedroom and locked the door, not allowing him to get his things. He said he kicked the door in and started packing his things. 

Stanley asked Hale to clarify what the victim said as she was walking toward him. He said she was telling him to stop yelling, according to the probable cause affidavit. Hale said he was raising his voice about wanting to take care of her child how he deemed fit. He then alleged the victim hit him, then he pushed her. He alleged the push he gave her was not intense enough to have caused her to fall to the ground. After she got up from the ground, Hale alleged she hit him three times – one to the head and two to the chest. Hale told Deputy Stanley he didn’t want to press charges for the hits he allegedly received.

Hale has been summoned to appear in Greene Superior Court on Feb. 8 on a charge of domestic battery, a Class A Misdemeanor.