Staff Report

James Curtis Francis

WINONA LAKE — A Winona Lake man was recently arrested after allegedly threatening a woman and holding her against her will.

James Curtis Francis, 32, 1776 E. CR 225S 11, Winona Lake, is charged with intimidation with a deadly weapon, a level 5 felony; criminal confinement and strangulation, both level 6 felonies; and domestic battery, a class A misdemeanor.

On Sept. 1, a Winona Lake Police officer responded to a domestic disturbance. A Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy told the officer a woman was in an argument with Francis.

When the Winona Lake officer arrived at the scene, he saw Francis yelling at the woman from the side of a road.

According to court documents, the woman said that she had been fighting with Francis since Aug. 31. During the night, Francis allegedly grabbed the woman by the throat several times. At one point, the woman was on the ground when Francis grabbed her by the throat. While she was on the ground, Francis put his knee on the woman’s neck.

He also slapped the woman three to four times in the face. The woman told the officer that Francis kept her locked in a room throughout the night and did not let her leave. During the time she was held against her will, the woman was not allowed to use the restroom.

Early in the morning on Sept. 1, the woman said she was allowed to leave so she could go to work. Upon returning from work, Francis began yelling at the woman and accusing her of things. When she attempted to leave the scene, Francis followed her while holding a hammer and threatened to kill her. He continued to threaten the woman and yell at her until officers arrived.

The officer noticed the woman had what appeared to be bruising and marks on her right shoulder, next to her neck.

A witness at the scene said he saw Francis get in the woman’s face and yell at her. He also saw Francis grab a hammer and heard him threaten to kill the woman. The witness said that on Aug. 31, he saw Francis yell at the woman and hit her several times.

Francis was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Sept. 1, with an $11,000 surety and cash bond.