Kenneth Haskins forcibly cornered a woman in the kitchen of his Boscawen home on Sunday afternoon, according to courts documents.
A witness observed Haskins on top of the woman, “shaking her back and forth.” When another person attempted to pull him away, Haskins bit that individual on the arm, leaving a visible mark, according to an arrest affidavit.
By the time police responded to a 911 call at 4:41 p.m., Haskins had fled and disappeared into the woods behind his North Main Street home. The ensuing search lasted for many hours, ending when Haskins, 57, was arrested and charged with four counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal threatening, according to the Boscawen Police Department.
Court record show this was not the first time he had inflicted violence on family members.
When a responding officer spoke with the victim at the home, he noticed faint yellow bruises on her body. She told investigators that Haskins left the marks during a separate incident in February, according to court records.
The officer wrote in his arrest affidavit that the photos showed a “dark purple bruise, noticeable imprints from fingers” on her arm.
The woman told the officer that Haskins had grabbed her arms and “twisted the skin on her bicep back and forth,” according to court documents.
The woman also provided authorities with a recording in which Haskins can be heard threatening, “I’ll kick you in the head.”
She told the officer that this kind of behavior was a regular occurrence.
State police responded to the search for Haskins with a canine unit in an attempt to track him down. Haskins went back to the house and snuck in through a window, and when police received another call, officers returned to the home and arrested Haskins around 10:46 p.m.
Haskins was arraigned Monday at Franklin District Court, where a judge denied him bail. Court records show that he remains in protective custody because of a history of abuse against multiple family members.
If you need help
- Call the 24/7 State Domestic Violence Hotline at 1866-644-3574
- Call the 24/7 Sexual Assault Hotline 1800-277-5570
