Turkey ‘flies’ out of Hilton Head home during couple argument

A Hilton Head Island man was charged with third-degree domestic violence Tuesday after he allegedly assaulted his wife and threw a turkey off the balcony of their apartment during an argument.

The incident was reported at the Dillon Road home about 10:15 p.m., according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.

The woman involved told deputies her husband had been drinking earlier in the afternoon, and had locked her in a bathroom with him and would not let her out, the report said. After he “calmed down,” the man let his wife out of the bathroom, and the two began to argue, according to the report.

At that time, the man allegedly attempted to drag the woman by her arms and shirt back into a bedroom until the woman was able to get away from him, the report said.

The man left for a short period but returned and told his wife that he wanted a divorce. The woman said when she agreed, her husband became angry again, grabbed a turkey from the refrigerator, and threw it off a balcony before telling her to go get it, the report said.

When the woman refused to retrieve the turkey, the man allegedly attempted to grab her wrist and arm to “force” her out the door, according to the report.

The woman told a deputy that the man “kept closing the door on her arms until she was fully outside,” the report said. “(The woman) advised her arms were sore and had pain in them as a result of (the man’s) actions.”

The man then locked her out of their home as the woman called 911, according to the report. When deputies arrived, they did not observe any injuries on the woman, the report said. She declined medical treatment.

As deputies spoke to the woman, her husband came out of the apartment “with his hands in the air,” the report said. He told deputies his wife had been drinking all day, and that there was an argument, but it never became physical.

A deputy noted in the report that the husband appeared to be the “primary aggressor,” and that his wife appeared to be “in fear for her safety.” The man was arrested and taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center.

The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette does not typically name those accused or charged with misdemeanor crimes.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Turkey ‘flies’ out of Hilton Head home during couple argument."