A Carson City man faces felony and misdemeanor charges after he allegedly slapped a 12-year-old boy trying to call police for help after the man had pushed the boy's mother in a domestic dispute.
Joseph Cornell Healy, 41, was arrested Saturday in the 1400 block of Como Street. He faces charges of having prevented a witness from reporting a crime, battery that constitutes domestic violence and simple battery on a child. He is being held on $7,500 bail.
According to the arrest report, officers responded to a domestic violence report at 10:36 p.m. An officer knocked on the door several times but there wasn't an answer. An officer heard someone inside, identified later as Healy, walking around. Officers then went to a nearby home where the victims were at, including an adult woman and a 12-year-old boy, who officers observed had a tissue plugged in his nose to stop it from bleeding.
The boy told officers Healy pushed his mother backwards using both hands, and stated that his mother told him to call 911 for help on her cell phone because Healy was out of control.
The boy told officers that he went to dial 911 and Healy hit him with his right hand in the face causing his nose to bleed and prevented him from making the phone call for help. The boy said that Healy then grabbed the cell phone from his hand and threw it across the bedroom. The boy told officers that Healy went at the woman again and pushed her against a wall in the apartment.
At first the woman denied Healy had hit her and she said she didn't see Healy hit the boy. She later admitted that Healy pushed her twice, hit her son in the nose and prevented him from calling 911 for help, according to the sheriff's report.
The woman took officers back to the apartment and allowed them in with her key. Inside the arresting officer made contact with Healy, and asked him to step outside, where he was to be detained. Healy told the officer that he was in bed asleep and didn't hear the officer knocking on the door otherwise he would have opened it, according to the arrest report.
The arresting officer told Healy, who appeared intoxicated, that he didn't believe him and advised him of his Miranda Rights. Healy said he understood and then invoked his right to have a lawyer present before answering questions. The man was transported to jail and booked on the charges of felony preventing a witness reporting a crime, misdemeanor battery that constitutes domestic violence and misdemeanor simple battery on a child.