Burnell Reed
Police have charged 49-year-old Burnell Reed with punching and choking his girlfriend and locking her in a motel room.
Police said the incident took place at the Hamilton Inn on Lee Highway.
After the girlfriend was finally able to escape, she told officers that Reed used his fist to punch her in the face multiple times. She said at one point he choked her until she lost consciousness.
She said when she tried to leave the room, he locked the door from the inside.
The girlfriend said when he fell asleep, she was too scared to look for the key for fear of waking him up.
At one point, she said she got out of the room, but Reed chased her down and pulled her back inside by her arm.
When the phone cord was again attached to the phone, she was able to call police. She was only able to give the motel address before the line went dead.
Police were able to find the couple in room 331. Reed had called police claiming he was the victim of an assault. He was gone when police arrived.
The girlfriend had a large bruise around her left eye, a laceration above her left eyebrow and numerous bruises on her left arm.
There was a deadbolt lock requiring a key from each side of the door. A motel maintenance man said it appeared someone had installed the lock. He said his master key would not work on the lock.
The maintenance man said he had seen Reed chasing after the victim on the motel breezeway.