Sep. 3—A Hartselle woman was charged Thursday with third-degree domestic violence after deputies said she initially tried to convince them she was the victim, just weeks after being arrested for allegedly strangling the same person, according to a deputy’s complaint filed in Morgan County Circuit Court.
Ashley Lashae Woods, 38, was transported to Morgan County Jail and is being held in lieu of a $5,000 bond as of Tuesday morning.
On Thursday at 6:50 p.m., deputies received a call about a domestic violence incident that occurred at 25 Bean Road in Hartselle and the complainant wanted to speak to them at Mobil gas station on Main Street.
“(The victim) advised that on this date, Ashley Woods was staying with him at his camper at Quail Creek campground when she was advised by her bail bondsman, she needed to stay somewhere else because she was the offender and he was the victim in a previous domestic situation,” the complaint said.
Because of this, the victim said Woods wanted to move to the address on Bean Road until the situation was resolved. He helped Woods load her things up in his truck and transported her to Bean Road.
“(The victim) advised that while at the residence on Bean Road, Ashley advised (the victim) that he was on her turf and she had witnesses that would say he just showed up,” the complaint said.
As the victim was unloading Wood’s stuff from his truck and placing it in an older van outside, Woods came outside and told him he was not allowed to be there and that he needed to leave because he was not invited.
“(The victim) advised that Ashley was walking towards him, yelling at him, so he turned to go get in his truck and leave but Ashley grabbed him by his left arm and hit him in the left side of his face,” the complaint said.
A male that was at the residence then came outside and told the victim he needed to leave and after he left, the victim called the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies noticed several red marks and scratches on the victim’s left arm and a red mark on the side of his face.
According to the complaint, the victim told deputies he recorded audio of the incident on Thursday after Woods threatened to file a false report to get him in trouble.
“I was able to listen to several recordings on (the victim’s) phone where you could hear the conversations between him and Ashley,” the complaint said.
The deputy said the recordings were made around 5 p.m.
“On the recordings, I could hear Ashley threatening to give herself an injury and call the cops on (the victim) to get him arrested,” the complaint said. “I could also tell in one of the recordings that they were in a vehicle and she was threatening to bust his windows and calling him vulgar names.”
The deputy said they then went to the residence on Bean Road where Woods had also phoned in a domestic violence call. Woods advised deputies she was staying at the residence after being released from jail on a previous domestic violence charge with the same victim.
She told deputies that the victim showed up to the residence, and when she asked him to leave, he “jumped” at her. Deputies spoke with the male resident of the home, and he told them Woods showed up at the house 10 minutes before the altercation took place. He said he did not see what happened and only walked outside when he heard Woods yelling and he told the victim to leave.
“At this point, I advised Ashley that I was aware that she was giving me false information and placed her under arrest for domestic violence 3rd,” the complaint said. “Ashley immediately became irate and started yelling and screaming. After she was placed in the back of (a sergeant’s) patrol unit, she started kicking/beating on the cage.”
The deputy said once they arrived at Morgan County Jail, corrections officers had to assist in getting Woods out of the patrol vehicle after she advised a deputy she was not going to get out of the back seat.
On Aug. 6, Woods was charged with domestic violence by strangulation and posted a $5,000 bond on Aug. 13, according to court records.
An investigator with the Sheriff’s Office reported that a witness informed them they had walked into a camper in the Quail Creek campground in Falkville and saw Woods on top of the victim and choking him with both hands.
“(The victim) said Ashley was mad and was accusing him of cheating and she put her hands on him and started choking him and then (the witness) came in and saw everything,” according to an affidavit signed by the investigator.
The witness pulled Woods off the victim, and then the two got into a physical fight before it was broken up, according to the affidavit. Afterward, the witness told Woods he was calling the police, and she walked outside.
Court records show Woods has hired Decatur attorney Phoenix Iverson for her latest domestic violence charge. Huntsville attorney Jerrika Jones is Woods’ court appointed attorney for the domestic violence charge on Aug. 6.
— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.