Chester man charged with beating, kidnapping woman in front of daughter, police say

A Chester man arrested Monday faces domestic violence and kidnapping charges after police were called to his home to help a woman move out, according to a Chester County Sheriff’s Office report.

A woman called police Monday so she could gather her clothes from the house on Michau Drive, the report says. She told police Robert James West, 40, had been “beating on her for the past month,” the report says.

She told police she was cooking in the kitchen on Saturday when West beat her with a belt in front of their 11-year-old daughter, the statement says.

West then kept her inside the house for two days and took her phone so she couldn’t call police for help, the report says.

Police also spoke with the daughter, who said she was in the kitchen when West started beating her mother. She told police West pulled her mother by her hair through the kitchen, the statement says.

The woman had visible injuries to her arms and face, according to warrants.

West is charged with first-degree domestic violence, kidnapping and unlawful neglect of a child. He is being held at Chester County Detention Center without bail, according to jail records.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Chester man charged with beating, kidnapping woman in front of daughter, police say."