Man accused of assaulting 11-year-old girl, dragging her down the street in Newport
An 11-year-old girl was freed from the hold of a man after deputies tased him during a confrontation Monday evening in Newport, Michigan.
The girl had previously been dragged out of her home by the suspect, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies have arrested the 35-year-old man, who knew the girl's family, and charged him with domestic assault, unlawful imprisonment and several counts of resisting and obstructing an officer, according to authorities. An arraignment is pending in Monroe County First District Court.
The incident was reported by a 911 call shortly before 8 p.m. from a home along Aspen Street in Newport. The mother told dispatchers that the man was dragging her daughter down the street while she followed them and remained on the call.
A deputy responding to the area found the man with the girl still in his grasp in the area of Cedar Street and Ashlyn Drive. The officer ordered the man to stop and release the child. He allegedly refused and kept on walking.
A second officer arrived as the man reached the area of Oak Street and Ashlyn Drive.
Deputies said the man remained uncooperative as they ordered him to let the girl go. Finally, deputies applied tasers to him, and the man fell to the ground. The girl was then able to get away from the suspect.
Deputies were able to take the suspect into custody after a brief struggle. Officers first took the man to ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries resulting from the altercation. After his release from the hospital, he was lodged at the Monroe County Jail.
In the meantime, the child was reunited with her mother. The girl had minor injuries as a result of the assault, the report said, and she was treated by Monroe Community Ambulance and Frenchtown Fire Department crews.