Armed With a Butcher Knife, Man Threatens A Woman and Her Children

He cut the phone line, hit his girlfriend with a plastic crate and then grabbed her until she bit his arm, according to a story in the Athens Banner Herald.

And then, when the woman's children came downstairs to find out what was going on, Anthony Marcell Crawford, 29, allegedly grabbed a butcher knife and theatened the woman and her children, ages 11 and 8, police believe.

The newspaper story says that when the woman called 911 and police arrived, Crawford had gone. The police said the fight was the culmination of a day-long fight between Crawford and the woman. He has a history of violence against her, the story says.

After police came the first time, the story says, they returned when the woman called 911 a second time to report that Crawford had come back and was outside, taunting her with a strange laugh through a back window.

Crawford was arrested and charged under the state Family Violence Act with two counts of third-degree cruelty to children and three counts of aggravated assault, according to the newspaper story.

Anyone in an abusive relationship can call Project Safe’s 24-hour hotline at (706) 543-3331, or visit http://www.project-safe.org/.