Man gets probation for dragging woman by hair

Published 11:42 am Thursday, July 21, 2011

A 25-year-old Austin man who dragged a woman around her house by her hair was sentenced Friday in Mower County District Court to two years supervised probation.

Santiago Carlos Rubio, 25, was convicted of two counts of gross misdemeanor domestic assault. Six other criminal charges were dismissed when he took a plea deal. Dismissed charges include: one count of felony terroristic threats, two counts of malicious punishment of a child and three counts of gross misdemeanor domestic assault.

Rubio must also complete 40 hours of community work service as part of his sentence.

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According to a court complaint, Rubio and a woman got into an argument on April 1 that left him upset. Around 9:30 p.m., he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her around the house. He kept asking to see her phone, and when she didn’t give it to him, he threatened to hurt her children.

When the woman ran into the bedroom where her four children were, Rubio followed, taking off his belt and swinging it over his head. The metal buckle apparently hit the bedroom wall, leaving a hole.

Rubio then reportedly hit one of the children with the belt. According to the court complaint, the child had large red injuries on his forehead and neck where the belt hit. Rubio also threatened to kill the woman in front of the children, according to court documents.

The woman told police Rubio eventually left the room and fell asleep, and she called police from a friend’s house.

Court records show Rubio was convicted of fifth-degree domestic assault against the same woman in 2009.