Rock Hill man accused of assaulting wife, spitting on child

A Rock Hill man was charged with criminal domestic violence after assaulting his wife, then pushing her son to the ground and spitting on him when he tried to help his mother, according to a Rock Hill police report.

Franklin Ryan Eugene Medlin, 33, of East Rambo Road, was charged with second-degree criminal domestic violence and placed in the Rock Hill city jail, where he remained Thursday morning under $6,000 bond.

Medlin called police to his home late Wednesday and said he had been punched in the face, the report states. Officers noted that Medlin smelled of alcohol and exhibited signs of impairment when they arrived.

Medlin, who was shirtless and had a large scratch on his stomach and a bloody lip, told officers his wife dropped him off a quarter-mile from their home because he was intoxicated and yelling at her, his child and their two nieces, according to the report.

At the home, police said, Medlin continued yelling and getting close to the victim; he then cornered her in the bathroom when she tried to take a shower. He choked the woman and punched her in the face, the report states.

When the woman’s son tried to help her by grabbing Medlin, he shoved the boy to the floor and spit on him.

Police said they saw blood on the boy’s torn and stretched shirt. In the bedroom and bathroom, they saw items had been thrown on the floor, damage to the door and the shower running.

Officers determined Medlin was the primary aggressor, and that his wife tried multiple times to leave the situation, the report states.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Rock Hill man accused of assaulting wife, spitting on child."