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NORTON – A Randolph County man faces a felony charge after allegedly assaulting and strangling the mother of his child.
William Joseph Tanner Sr., 30, is charged with one count of strangulation, a felony. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $15,000 cash-only bond set by Randolph County Magistrate Michael Dyer.
According to the criminal complaint, filed by Sergeant Brice W. Cogar with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, on Oct. 23, Cogar returned a public service call to the alleged victim in reference to an incident that occurred in April.
The alleged victim stated she had been the victim of domestic assault, domestic battery and strangulation while living at a residence on Bennett Loop Road in Norton, the complaint states. The alleged victim said her attacker was her “baby daddy,” Tanner. She told Cogar she did not call police at the time of the incident in April, but did go through the Barbour County Magistrate Office to obtain a domestic violence protective order, which was granted.
The alleged victim told Cogar she had an audio recording of Tanner allegedly making derogatory remarks regarding their relationship, including “you can’t get child support if you’re f***ing dead and I’m in prison,” the complaint states. She also advised she had taken photos of the injuries she had sustained two days after the voice recording was made.
The alleged victim provided a written statement saying Tanner allegedly struck her several times in the face and head area, as well as kicked her in the body. Tanner also allegedly pinned the alleged victim and choked her until she “started to lose peripheral vision and could not breath.”
According to the complaint, the alleged victim told Cogar that her attorney had suggested she press charges against Tanner, as the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) and Child Protective Services (CPS) were going to implement an “improvement plan” for Tanner in order for him to regain some custody of their child.
On Nov. 2, Cogar spoke to the alleged victim again and obtained the voice recording and the photos of her injuries, the complaint states. After reviewing this evidence, Cogar writes that the alleged victims’ statements of what Tanner did “were verified.”