Atlantic City Man Admits Beating Up Girlfriend, Knocking Out Teeth

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — An Atlantic City man has admitted to two separate instances of assaulting his girlfriend and an unrelated drug charge.

Darnell Tenner, 30, was initially charged on Nov. 18, 2023, when police saw him shortly before noon in the area of Kentucky and Atlantic avenues holding a clear plastic sandwich bag containing a white, rocklike powdery substance that later lab-tested positive for cocaine, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

In the second incident, police on patrol were flagged down just before 12 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2024, at Tennessee and Atlantic avenues. A woman told officers that her boyfriend, Tenner, had punched her in the mouth and threatened to kill her multiple times, authorities said. She pointed out Tenner, who was standing in front of the 24-Hour Food Mart, and he was taken into custody without incident, officials said.

On March 21, 2024, at about 8:30 p.m., an officer was flagged down by a woman in distress in the area of Renaissance Plaza, authorities said.

That woman told the officer she was dating Tenner, who had assaulted her earlier in the day by tying her down by her hands and feet and obstructing her breathing by covering her mouth with a sock, according to authorities. It wasn't clear if this was the same woman as the previous incident.

She also said that Tenner had punched her in the face, knocking some of her teeth out, officials said.

The woman told police where Tenner was and he again was taken into custody. While in custody, Tenner gave police a fake name and became irate, attempting to spit on officers, authorities said. The woman was taken to AtlantiCare for treatment of her injuries.

Tenner's guilty plea calls for a sentence of four years New Jersey State Prison for third-degree aggravated assault, 365 days New Jersey State Prison for fourth-degree aggravated assault, three years New Jersey State prison for possession of cocaine, all concurrent to 365 days New Jersey State Prison for third-degree terroristic threats.

His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20, 2024.