Newport Man Charged with Domestic Offenses

NEWPORT, RI—Police said they responded to a Newport man's home at 8:24 p.m. Tuesday for a report about a woman injured in a car accident. But when they arrived, they did not find any signs of a car collision.

The injured woman was crying too hard to tell police what happened initially, officers said. But eventually, she told them her boyfriend and she had quarreled. They were riding in the car on the way to Fort Adams to walk her dogs, and an argument started, she said. He allegedly elbowed her in the forehead and punched her in the face several times.

When she called her cousin on the telephone for help, he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and pulled her out of the vehicle, and she fell onto the ground.

The woman told police she wanted to leave and take her dogs with her. Police said she was taken to the hospital for an examination, and her cousin took her dogs home with her.

The boyfriend, Chad Rutledge, 43, of Newport, was charged with Domestic Simple Assault and Battery and with Domestic Disorderly Conduct for "fighting, threatening, violent and tumultuous behavior" when he allegedly hurt the woman.