A Burlington man is facing an aggravated misdemeanor charge following an alleged domestic assault involving a knife early Sunday morning.
Burlington Police were called to the 800 block of Terrance Drive shortly after 2 a.m. for a report that a woman had been stabbed. Officers found the woman lying in the grass across the street with an open wound to her forehead, and she was taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to a criminal complaint, the woman told investigators she and John Eric Fenton, 41, had argued after leaving a bar. She alleged the argument became physical and that she locked herself inside a bathroom.
The woman told police Fenton picked at the lock and kicked through part of the bathroom door before entering with a knife. She alleged he threatened to kill her, stabbed her in the forehead, and struck her in the face with the handle of the knife.
The woman said she bit Fenton on the ear in self-defense before escaping to a neighbor’s home for help. Fenton also suffered a significant injury to his ear.
Fenton gave investigators a different account, denying that he had a weapon and alleging the woman kicked in the bathroom door and assaulted him. According to the complaint, he told detectives that after she bit him, he may have assaulted her but was unsure.
Fenton was charged with first-offense domestic abuse assault involving the display or use of a weapon. He posted $2,000 bond Monday and was released.
Court records indicate Fenton’s defense intends to argue self-defense and says cell phone video and home security recordings will show the woman was the primary aggressor.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 17 at the Des Moines County Courthouse.
Defendants are presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty in court.