An Elizabethton man is facing multiple charges after police said he grabbed his ex-wife’s hand through a car window and tried to drag her alongside the vehicle during a domestic altercation at a local high school.
Thomas William Tolley, 38, Elizabethton, was arrested Thursday evening by the Carter County Sheriff’s Department and charged with aggravated domestic assault, driving under the influence and open container violation.
Tolley’s ex-wife called for police assistance and said Tolley assaulted her during a youth football game at Hampton High School.
According to a report by CCSD Deputy Roger Brown, CCSD Sgt. Larry Vaughn spoke with the woman at Hampton High School, who said she was at the school to watch her son play football when Tolley arrived at the school. She encountered him in the parking lot when she went to her car to retrieve her cell phone.
“(She) said she and Mr. Tolley became engaged in a verbal altercation because Mr. Tolley was drinking alcohol and driving,” Brown wrote in the report. “(She) said Mr.Tolley began to yell and curse at her and pulled her toward his vehicle. (She) said Mr. Tolley grabbed her by her right hand and began to drive away in a forward motion while dragging her alongside his vehicle.”
The woman told police she was able to break Tolley’s grip and the rear tire of his vehicle ran over her right foot. Brown wrote that fresh black marks were present on the woman’s shoe, and that her right hand was red with slight swelling around the knuckles.
Tolley was located in the area of First Avenue in Hampton by Constable Tim Lyons, who had already placed Tolley into the back of his cruiser. Brown arrived at the scene, and wrote that after removing Tolley from the cruiser, he detected a strong order of alcohol coming from him, that his eyes were bloodshot and glossy and his speech was slow and “thick-tongued.”
“At this point, Mr. Tolley’s only concern was to go to the bathroom,” Brown wrote in the report. “While speaking with Mr. Tolley, he admitted to drinking while driving his vehicle and had been involved with an altercation with his ex-wife.”
Brown wrote that he observed an open 25-ounce Busch beer in the center console of the car with a small amount left inside the can.
A witness statement at the school coincided with the ex-wife’s story.
“Based on the physical evidence as well as the victim and witness statements, Mr. Thomas Tolley is being charged with aggravated domestic assault, driving under the influence and open container violation,” Brown reported.