Docs: Anderson man punched woman, leading him to being bit by teenager

DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. — An Anderson man was arrested after he reportedly punched a woman, leading her teenage son to bite him.

According to court documents from Delaware County, 58-year-old Richard Barnes has been preliminarily charged with:

• Domestic battery with a child present, a Level 6 felony
• Strangulation, a Level 6 felony
• Warrant out of Delaware County.

At around 10:18 p.m. on Thursday, officers with the Muncie Police Department responded to the area of W Fox Ridge Lane and N Chadam Lane in Muncie on a domestic call.

On the call, a teen told police that a man, who police identified as Barnes, reportedly “tried to choke out his mother.”

In an interview with police, the woman said she was reportedly “punched, kicked and choked” by Barnes at a local hotel. At one point, Barnes reportedly grabbed the collar of the woman’s shirt and choked her.

At this point, the documents said the teen was bringing his mom a cup of coffee when he reportedly saw this interaction.

“(The teen) stated he was hitting (Barnes) and bit him in an attempt to get him off of her,” the documents read. “(The teen) reported that during this time, (Barnes) elbowed him in the forehead and that he also injured his wrist.”

The documents said that Barnes was taken into custody and did not speak with officers about the incident. Barnes allegedly “appeared to be intoxicated and was belligerent with officers.”

The court documents state that Barnes is being held on a $22,000 bond because of a prior felony conviction in 2022.