Salem man arrested for battery and other charges

By: 
Staff Writer Kate Wehlann

A local man was arrested following accusations that he threatened and assaulted a woman and pointed a loaded gun at her during an argument on Sunday afternoon.

Just after 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12, Sheriff’s Deputy Wayne Blevins was dispatched to a home on West Arrow Road in Salem. A woman had reportedly left the home with items belonging to the caller, Kevin Worley, 56. While he was en route, he received word from dispatch the woman involved was at a home on Henderson Park Road in Salem, requesting to speak with an officer and saying Worley had attacked her.

When Blevins arrived, he said Worley invited him inside and told him the woman had stolen seven of his collector knives and admitted to getting loud and verbally abusive to the woman when he saw they were missing. He told her he wanted his knives back and she needed to get out of his home. Worley claimed she refused to leave and said she was calling the police. He said he told her to go and called 9-1-1 himself. He said that was when the woman decided to leave as he threw some of her belongings outside.

Worley told Blevins he had was recently told in child support court to sell his guns, knives and guitars to pay for support. He said when he saw the knives were missing, the only person who could have taken them was the woman he threw out. He said the two were friends and he allowed her to stay there sometimes, but he now wanted her out of his home and not to come back.

Blevins told Worley the woman in question had also called the police about him, saying he had attacked her. Worley denied the allegation, saying he’d never touched her.

Blevins then went to speak with the woman, who said Worley attacked her and grabbed her by the throat. She said he had woken up around 1:30 p.m., cursing her because someone had come by to see her and then left, which woke him up. She said she and Worley got into an argument over Worley calling her and her friend “snitches” because the police towed another person’s truck from where it was in Henderson Park. Conflict with Worley’s son had also been an ongoing source of acrimony in the house and when she said she didn’t want to hear any more about it, Worley cursed at her more. She said she told Worley she wanted to leave and when she got up, she said Worley rushed at her and knocked her back down onto the couch and grabbed her by her neck and started to choke her with both hands.

Blevins documented several red marks and scratches on the front and sides of her neck.

She stated he never squeezed hard enough to restirct her air flow and she told him to let go and get off and that she already had problems with her throat and neck already. She said Worley then accused her of stealing from him, but she denied it and never even knew about the knives, despite cleaning his home for him while she was there. She told Blevins she was in and out of Worley’s home helping him — mowing the lawn, hauling water and cleaning — but that she didn’t live there and didn’t have a key to the home. She said Worley is always home and she is homeless and living out of her vehicle.

When she told Worley again she was going to leave, she said he pointed a handgun at her and threatened to shoot her. As she was going out the door, she said Worley threw a bag at her and hit her in the back. She got in her truck and left.

She said Worley had been angry since he’d been to court about his son. She said he had been hiding his guns and guitars, which he’d been ordered to sell, taking one of his more expensive guitars to someone’s home to hide them from the police and that he told her he would “bust her in the mouth” if she told anyone. The woman said Worley had an substance abuse problem and had been cursing at her and threatening her for more than a week. When she would try to talk to him, she said he curses at her and threatens to “bust her in the mouth.” She said he would stay up all night drinking and sleep all day and if she made any noise, he would curse at her as well. She said this isn’t the first time he’s been abusive toward her and has cursed and threatened a neighbor as well. She said he’d been angry lately because a friend of his in Missouri had invited her to come and stay with him if she felt she was in danger. She added she had been discussing Worley’s behavior with her son and planning to get her belongings out and is now planning to get a protective order.

After Blevins spoke with her, he and Reserve Deputy Danny Libka returned to Worley’s home where they infomed him of the allegations. Worley stated again that the woman was lying, but Blevins said they were placing him under arrest. Worley called a family member letting them know he was being arrested and asked the officers to document his guitars and other items in case anything went missing while he was in jail. A gun, which was sitting in plain sight on the floor next to the recliner, was photographed as well before being taken into evidence.

At the Washington County Detention Center, Worley admitted to getting verbally abusive with the woman, saying he told her he would like to kill her and he did throw some of her stuff out the front door telling her to leave.

Worley was processed and booked on the preliminary charges of: battery, intimidation, pointing a loaded firearm at another person.

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