CENTRALIA – A Belleville man is facing several charges following a possible domestic disturbance in the 700 block of East 11th Street in Centralia just after 6 Tuesday morning.
According to Centralia Police, 37-year-old DeAndre Brown was taken into custody and transported to the Marion County Jail in Salem charged with Home Invasion, Unlawful Restraint, Aggravated Domestic Battery, Interference with Domestic Violence Reporting and Kidnapping.
The report originated from a supervisor at a Centralia employer who expressed concern for an employee’s well-being. Officers responded to the home, but were unable to make contact with anyone.
The supervisor stated that the employee arrived at work with visible injuries. The employee’s cellphone had been taken by her ex-boyfriend, who refused to return it. The employee relayed to her supervisor that she was being held against her will and had been severely beaten by the ex-boyfriend. The employee stated she needed to get back to the car now because she feared he would come after the supervisor.
Based on this information, officers issued an alert to surrounding law enforcement agencies to attempt to locate the vehicle involved and its occupants. The vehicle was found a short time later in Centralia with a male and female occupant inside. The male driver was taken into custody without further incident.
The victim reported that at 2:30 a.m., her ex-boyfriend arrived at her home and began pounding on the door. When she opened it, he forced his way inside. She stated that over the next several hours he physically assaulted her, including strangling her to the point of losing consciousness, repeatedly slamming her head onto a wooden floor, and punching her multiple times in the face. She reported that he made multiple threats to kill her.
After leaving her workplace, the victim noticed a coworker following the vehicle. Upon returning to her home and seeing police in the area, the suspect allegedly became enraged and again threatened to kill her. She reported that they then drove to East St. Louis, where the suspect continued to make violent threats, including threatening to place a gun in her mouth.
On the return trip to Centralia, the suspect allegedly told her he would return her phone so she could call family to say goodbye because he intended to kill her. Officers located the vehicle before further harm occurred.
Brown was taken into custody, charged with his offenses and booked into jail.