ROCKINGHAM — A Richmond County man is accused of trying to cut a woman with a harpoon and hunting knife in a domestic assault.
Heath Ransee Garner, 41, of 326 Beaverdam Church Road, Marston, was arrested Monday following the alleged attack on Saturday.
A warrant for his arrest states Garner hit the woman in the arms, body and legs, then assaulted her “by attempting to cut her with a harpoon first and then with a large hunting knife.”
Garner is accused of violating the terms of a domestic violence protective order by failing to stay away from the woman and her home south of Rockingham and by possessing a deadly weapon, “a large pocket knife with a large, sharp blade.”
The complainant gave sworn testimony to Richmond County Magistrate Holly C. Smith, who issued the warrant for Garner’s arrest.
Garner is charged with assault on a female, a domestic violence protective order violation with use of a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor domestic violence protective order violation.
Court records show Garner had two pending charges of violating the protective order in Richmond County at the time of his arrest.
District Court Judge Lisa Thacker issued the protective order on April 27, according to the warrant. The order bars Garner from assaulting the complainant, going near her home or having any contact with her.
Garner’s last reported criminal conviction was in August 2013 on a charge of misdemeanor driving while license revoked in Moore County. He has previous convictions of driving while impaired, operating a vehicle without insurance or registration and driving while license revoked.
Richmond County sheriff’s deputies arrested Garner on Monday. He was jailed without bond for 48 hours, which is customary in domestic violence cases.
As a condition of his pretrial release, Garner was ordered to have no contact with the complainant. He also is prohibited from possessing a firearm while the charges against him are pending.
Reach Editor Corey Friedman at 910-817-2670 and follow him on Twitter @corey_friedman.