COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A homeless man was formally charged on Thursday with unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder following an alleged incident with a female acquaintance.
19-year-old Joseph Ray Morgan was arrested following a Coldwater Police investigation into the alleged incident inside of the New Heart Ministry Church on Michigan Avenue.
According to Branch County court documents, police were called Wednesday to the nearby Rite Aid store on a domestic assault complaint.
A woman told police what Morgan allegedly did to her and that he held her against her will overnight inside the church by bear hugging her when she tried to leave.
At one point according to the woman, Morgan allegedly put his hand over her mouth for more than 20 seconds which cause her to feel dizzy and unable to breath.
Morgan told the investigating officer that he tried to put a pillow under the woman’s head during the night but he accidentally put it over her face and accidentally began suffocating her. He also said the woman punched him in the face and caused his nose to bleed.
Police were contacted after the two went to the Rite Aid store and began arguing over a phone.
Bond for Morgan was set at $20,000. A probable cause hearing was scheduled for next Thursday with a preliminary exam scheduled for December 29.
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