Police: Man assaulted girlfriend with mini sledgehammer in Gaston Co.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Gastonia police charged a man for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend with a mini sledgehammer and preventing her from seeking aid.

Police say they went to an area hospital at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 2 after a woman called 911 to report an assault. She told officers she was at Robert Louis Singletary’s apartment a few hours earlier when he hit her in the back of the head with a mini sledgehammer.

She told police she immediately felt dizzy and disoriented and was bleeding profusely. Singletary allegedly would not allow her to leave until she cleaned up evidence from the assault.

Police said she was able to leave the apartment about two hours later, and that she immediately went to a hospital and called 911.

Singletary was arrested at his apartment that afternoon. He was charged with assault with intent to inflict serious injury, kidnapping and communicating threats.

He is being held on a $250,000 secured bond.