CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Chillicothe man was arrested Sunday night after a witness reported seeing him repeatedly strike a female passenger while driving through the city, according to the Chillicothe Police Department.
Officers were dispatched shortly before 11 p.m. on June 15 after receiving a report of an active domestic violence incident involving an older tan sedan traveling south on North Bridge Street.
A witness told police she observed the vehicle being driven erratically and saw the driver making punching motions toward the passenger seat. After pulling alongside the vehicle, the witness reported seeing a woman with blood on her face screaming to be let out.
According to police reports, the witness said the woman attempted to open the door and exit the moving vehicle, but the driver allegedly grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back inside. The vehicle then pulled into the Speedway gas station at the corner of North Bridge Street and East Main Street, where officers quickly arrived.
When officers approached the vehicle, they observed a female passenger, exit the vehicle with visible facial injuries with blood running down her face, and run to the side of the building. Police said the driver, identified as Tyler Scott Bethel Estep, initially failed to comply with commands and was detained.
Estep told officers that he and the female had been arguing and claimed she was experiencing a mental health episode and attempting to jump from the moving vehicle. He stated he was trying to keep her inside the car while continuing to drive.
However, police said she denied experiencing a mental health crisis and told officers the altercation began after she refused to provide Estep with the password to her phone.
Investigators documented injuries including a bloody nose, a split lip, bruising, and complaints of head pain. EMS personnel evaluated her at the scene, but she declined transportation to a hospital.
Based on statements from the victim, the witness, and physical evidence observed at the scene, officers arrested Estep on a charge of domestic violence.
During a search of the vehicle, officers also discovered a bag containing 12 white pills that Estep identified as Percocet. The pills were seized as evidence and will be sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for testing. Police said Estep claimed he had a prescription but was unable to provide proof at the scene.
Further investigation revealed Estep was driving under a non-compliance license suspension and operating the vehicle with a fictitious license plate. The vehicle was impounded by Best Towing.
Estep was transported to the Ross County Jail and charged with domestic violence. He was also cited for driving under suspension and operating a vehicle with fictitious plates. Police noted he could face additional drug-related charges pending laboratory analysis of the seized pills.
The investigation remains ongoing.
