Crime & Public Safety

Police accuse Bluffton man of felony domestic violence after alleged assault Friday

A Bluffton man faces felony domestic violence charges after police accused him of attacking a woman at an apartment on Parklands Drive Friday, according to the Bluffton Police Department.

Leonard Brown, 35, was charged Friday with criminal domestic violence, jail records show.

Police were called to the apartment complex on Parklands Drive around 5 p.m. after a family member reported Brown had allegedly assaulted a woman they are related to, said Sgt. Bonifacio Perez, a spokesperson for the Bluffton Police Department.

When they arrived, police found a woman with “moderate injuries” who looked like she had been “struck by an object,” Perez said. The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

No other charges for Brown are expected at this time, Perez said.

In January, Brown faced charges of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, assault and first-degree assault and battery and several counts of kidnapping after two separate incidents.

The first incident happened on Jan. 18 after a woman reported she and her infant, whom she shares with Brown, were attacked and not allowed to leave a car he was driving from their Shell Hall community. Both she and the infant were injured in the incident, according to previous reporting. The second incident happened on Jan. 21 after another woman reported she had been attacked by Brown in the parking lot of an Enmarket gas station and was not allowed to leave the car. In that incident, the woman had severe injuries to her face.

The charges for those incidents are still pending. Attorney information for Brown was not immediately available.

As of Sunday morning, Brown remained in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

If you or someone you know has been affected by domestic violence, help can be found by calling Hopeful Horizons’ 24-hour Support Line at 843-770-1070.

When we publish mugshots

The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:

  • In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested
  • In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety
  • In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims

Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that don’t meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot.

Sofia Sanchez
The Island Packet
Sofia Sanchez is a breaking news reporter at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. She reports on crime and developing stories in Beaufort and its surrounding areas. Sofia is a Cuban-American reporter from Florida and graduated from Florida International University in 2020.
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