An Izard County man is facing domestic battery charges after authorities alleged that he assaulted a woman using various items, including a knife and a weed eater, while holding her against her will for three days.
Charles Branch, 40, of Franklin, was arrested on August 2 at his home, where he was reportedly "heavily intoxicated," according to a probable cause affidavit from the Izard County Sheriff’s Office. He has been charged with felony second-degree domestic battery.
Investigators said the woman told deputies that Branch cut her arm with a knife, repeatedly punched her, and used a weed eater on her legs and ankles. Deputies noted observing bruises, cuts, and injuries on her legs that appeared consistent with repeated contact from weed eater string. A weed eater was found inside Branch’s living room and was photographed as evidence.
Branch gave a conflicting account during an interview with investigators two days later, denying that he deliberately injured the woman. Branch claimed that on July 31, while playing the video game *Rocket League* and drinking beer, the two had an argument about the future of their relationship. According to his account, the woman allegedly cut her own wrist with a military-style knife during the argument. Branch said he attempted to take the knife from her and that they both fell in the process, resulting in a bruise on her cheek from striking a wooden chair.
Branch admitted he did not call 911 to treat the severe cut but claimed he administered improvised first aid. According to his statement, he tore his shirt to apply pressure, rinsed the wound with cold water, and used Gorilla-brand super glue and duct-taped butterfly bandages to close the wound. He denied using the weed eater on the woman and attributed her other injuries to falls or self-inflicted wounds.
Investigators noted inconsistencies in Branch’s timeline and statements. He gave varying accounts of when he first noticed injuries to the woman's legs and feet.
A witness added unusual context to the case, describing frequent heavy drinking by Branch and the woman, whom she claimed often consumed one to two 30-packs of beer a day. The witness stated that the woman once told her she accidentally hit herself with a weed eater while working outside, which may explain earlier scratches on her leg. She also described Branch’s home as untidy, cluttered with toolboxes, and smelling strongly of beer. Deputies documented additional unusual behaviors, including instances when Branch and the woman allegedly threw knives at walls and ran naked through the home wrestling.
Branch was booked into the Izard County Detention Center and released on a $20,000 bond. Investigators concluded there was probable cause to believe Branch was responsible for some, if not all, of the woman’s injuries.