An Irwin man could be facing more than six decades in prison after allegedly attacking his ex-girlfriend.
The Union County Grand Jury has indicted Robert William Dean Gross, 23, of 12345 Irwin Rd., Irwin, charging him with three counts of felonious assault as well as one count each of burglary, kidnapping, strangulation, abduction, aggravated robbery and grand theft of a motor vehicle.
Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips said on Aug. 3, the victim received a social media message from Gross indicating he was in her apartment.
The woman and Gross had a prior relationship, but were not together at the time of the alleged incident.
The woman contacted friends and asked them to meet her at the apartment on Kenny Lane.
“When she got there, Mr. Gross allegedly met her in the parking lot,” Phillips said. “The woman was allegedly dragged from her car.”
According to court documents, Gross “punched (the woman) in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. While there, Gross continued to punch the woman in the face.”
“She was beaten, rather severely, to the point of unconsciousness,” Phillips said.
At some point, Gross broke the woman’s phone.
Eventually, two men, one that had been called by the victim and another that saw what was happening, came to the woman’s aid and pulled Gross off her.
Gross then allegedly fled in the woman’s red Ford Fusion.
Moments later, a Marysville Police officer saw the Fusion driving recklessly on Milford Avenue, just south of Kenny Lane.
According to court documents, the car “struck a green pick-up truck, causing the vehicle to go off the roadway.”
“The suspect vehicle continued southbound on Milford Avenue, where the driver attempted to strike the officer’s patrol vehicle,” according to court documents.
The officer was able to avoid the Fusion which continued south on Milford Avenue as, according to police, the driver continued to “flee at a high rate of speed.”
As police were trying to catch the man, they saw the Fusion hit an oncoming semi head-on at Milford Avenue and Route 4.
According to police reports, there was “heavy damage to the front of the Fusion. The truck went off the left side of the road and rolled over, coming to rest at the bottom of the embankment.”
When the car stopped, Gross was trapped inside the victim’s vehicle.
Police officials said the driver, Gross, was aware enough to be speaking at the scene. They described the man’s injuries as “severe.”
Gross “sustained significant injuries and was transported to a local hospital before being flown to a Columbus area hospital,” according to police reports.
The semi driver did not report injuries at that time.
While some officers were responding to the chase and subsequent crash, other officers were going to the scene of the assault.
When officers arrived they found a woman lying on the ground in a parking lot, unconscious.
According to court documents it took the woman “several minutes” to begin to regain consciousness.
“When she did regain consciousness, she was not speaking coherently,” Phillips said.
The prosecutor said the woman had “intense bruising, blood dripping from her mouth, her eye had swollen shut.”
The woman was taken to Memorial Hospital.
“The victim had fractures. She had significant injuries and she will need surgeries,” Phillips said.
Detectives learned the woman lost a tooth in the alleged assault.
Phillips said that when he and investigators had an opportunity to interview the woman, they learned of another incident.
“She identified a prior event, a strangulation that occurred July 17, when he allegedly strangled her, holding her up against the wall,” Phillips said.
If convicted, Gross could face as many as 62 years in prison.