Police: Hilton Head woman shields toddler with her body during assault by child's father

A Hilton Head man was charged with second degree domestic violence Thursday after he allegedly beat his girlfriend as she shielded their 3-year-old son with her body, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's Office report.

The incident happened about 12:15 a.m. at a Monticello Drive home. The woman told deputies she got home from work at 11:30 p.m. and wanted to spend time with her 3-year-old son. As they were lying on her bed, her boyfriend, the child's father, stormed into the bedroom with a rolled up $10 bill and accused her of snorting cocaine, the report said.

The report said that he punched her several times as she held their child. She let go of their son and fell off the bed. The boyfriend continued to kick and punch her, the report said. She told deputies she was scared for her son's safety so she got back onto the bed and shielded him with her body as her boyfriend continued to assault her, the report said.

When the boyfriend left the bedroom, the victim texted a neighbor to call police and ran with her son to the neighbor's house, the report said.

The victim was transported to the Hilton Head Hospital emergency room where she was treated for facial injuries and released.

The boyfriend was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center about 3 a.m. and released on bond that evening, according to the jail log.

In South Carolina, second degree domestic violence is a misdemeanor. The Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette do not name suspects charged with misdemeanors.

This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 9:14 AM.