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ELKINS - A Randolph County man is behind bars after allegedly breaking into an apartment and instigating a physical altercation with two women.
Joshua Matthew Hedrick, 39, of Elkins, is charged with burglary, a felony. He is being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $20,000 cash-only bond, set by Magistrate Ben Shepler.
According to the criminal complaint, prepared by Patrolman N.G. Elbon, of the Elkins Police Department, on Monday, Oct. 12, the officer responded to a report of an alleged "physical domestic" on North Avenue. Elbon arrived on the scene and spoke with Hedrick, who was "walking away from the address."
Hedrick reportedly said a woman had taken his phone and wallet while he was sleeping, the complaint states. Hedrick said he then woke up and went to "the apartment downstairs and was able to get his phone back."
Elbon then spoke to the alleged victim, and also talked to the resident of the downstairs apartment, according to the complaint. They told the officer that "Josh flew through the door," entering the apartment without permission. They also said Hedrick was screaming and "went ballistic," and picked the alleged victim "up by her neck and threw her against the wall."
The alleged victim "had visible red marks on her throat which resembled marks from being tightly squeezed by a person’s hands," the complaint states.
They also told the officer that Hedrick caused damage to the apartment’s door and broke an end table, the complaint states. The downstairs apartment resident said she attempted to call 911 on her cell phone, but Hedrick threw her against a kitchen island and "kept fighting me" to prevent her from calling.
Hedrick was placed into hand restraints and transported to the EPD for processing, and then to Tygart Valley Regional Jail. The complaint states that Hedrick had pleaded guilty to a prior domestic battery charge in January 2007.