BELL COUNTY, Ky. — A Pineville man is in custody after deputies said he held a gun to a woman's head and a machete to her throat shortly before they found him strangling and punching her in the backyard.
According to the Bell County Sheriff's Department, deputies arrived to a home off Highway 2077 to respond to a domestic dispute. Deputies said a 44-year-old man, identified as John Wayne Girdner of Pineville, was seen holding a knife to a woman's throat and was carrying a gun.
Deputies said they saw two young children in the driveway who appeared "frantic" and were pointing to the backyard. One of the deputies said they pulled forward and saw the woman lying on the ground with Girdner on top of her, strangling her with his hands and punching her in the face.
The BCSD said the deputy tackled Girdner to the ground after he "became combative and ignored verbal commands." Deputies said they used a chemical spray to subdue and arrest him.
According to deputies, the woman said she and Girdner had been arguing all day and had held a gun to her head, threatened her, as well as held a machete to her throat just before they arrived. Deputies said they found a handgun and machete hidden near where the woman was assaulted.
As he was being placed in the cruiser, deputies said they saw the man try to hide a small pouch containing a "crystal-like substance" they believed to be methamphetamine as well as syringes with residue.
Girdner is being held at the Bell County Detention Center and is facing several charges, including strangulation, wanton endangerment, assault, resisting arrest, drug possession, and endangering the welfare of a minor.
