Clover man charged with aggravated domestic violence for hammer assault

A Clover man allegedly assaulted his girlfriend with a hammer and held a knife to her throat while threatening to kill her, according to police.

Robert Eugene Parham, 32, of Forest Street in Clover, was charged with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, escape and threatening the life of a public official, according to jail records. He remained in the Moss Justice Center in York without bond on Tuesday.

Clover police officers met with the victim at a restaurant on Bethel Street about 7 p.m. Friday, according to a police report. She was bleeding from a cut to her left temple and had scratches on her neck, bruising on her back and what appeared to be bite marks on her legs, chest and shoulder.

The victim said she had been “fussing” with Parham much of the day and that she thought he was on some type of drug. While they were sitting on the couch, “he reached over and bit her leg for no apparent reason,” the report states.

The victim said she called her sister after Parham fell asleep because she decided to end the relationship and wanted to get an application for an apartment complex, police said. When she returned 30 minutes later, Parham had woken up and was angry that she had left without him knowing.

Parham grabbed the victim by the throat, choked her and pressed a knife against her neck while threatening to kill her, police said. He let her go and she walked away, but as Parham approached her again, she picked up a hammer to defend her self. Parham took the hammer and hit her in the head.

The victim said she waited for Parham to fall asleep again, then called her sister to pick her up, the report states. She was taken to a hospital, where she required a staple to close the wound on her head.

Lt. Tanner Davis said Parham tried to run away after police arrested him.

This story was originally published May 17, 2016 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Clover man charged with aggravated domestic violence for hammer assault."