RONCEVERTE W.Va. (WVDN) – A Greenbrier County man was arrested Monday night after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, threatening her life and destroying her phone with a baseball bat during a violent encounter in the parking lot behind Kroger in the Red Oaks Shopping Center.
Samuel Mayo was taken into custody late Monday by Greenbrier County Sheriff’s deputies following a domestic violence incident that began with a series of threatening messages and escalated to physical violence, according to a criminal complaint.
Deputies were dispatched to the Wendy’s restaurant in Fairlea at approximately 10:28 p.m. after the alleged victim called 911. The victim, who works at the Wendy’s location, ran back to the restaurant after she said Mayo assaulted her behind the nearby Kroger store.
When deputies arrived at the scene, the victim was visibly distressed and crying. She told deputies that she and Mayo had broken up over the weekend, but that Mayo continued contacting her by using access to her social media accounts. She said he was angry about people she had been messaging and began sending her threatening texts, including a photo of a baseball bat and the warning, “U better make this right.”
Throughout the day, Mayo allegedly sent a series of increasingly menacing messages, warning the victim she would “make things right” or he would “go crazy.” He also wrote, “U got consequences if you wanna keep going this route” and “dw abt where I’m at — all that matters is I know where u r.” The victim said she was frightened to leave work due to his threats and reported seeing Mayo parked near the Ollie’s store across from Wendy’s.
As she tried to leave the shopping center by driving around the back of Kroger, Mayo reportedly blocked her vehicle, approached her car with a baseball bat, and demanded she get into his truck. Fearing for her safety, the victim complied.
Once inside Mayo’s truck, the victim said he struck her repeatedly in the back of the head while shouting at her. The beating only stopped, she said, after she begged him. Mayo then exited the vehicle, took her phone and smashed it on the pavement with the bat multiple times, according to the complaint. He allegedly retrieved the phone, struck it again and threw the victim’s keys, which were later found by a Wendy’s employee in a nearby tree.
The victim managed to escape and ran back to Wendy’s, where she called for help. She told deputies she believed Mayo had gone to his father’s residence near Lewisburg.
Emergency medical personnel from Fairlea EMS evaluated the victim at the scene. Authorities explained her rights regarding a domestic violence protection order, which she indicated she planned to pursue the next day.
Deputies located Mayo at the residence later that night. When asked why officers were at his home, Mayo reportedly admitted, “I know I shouldn’t have done it,” and confirmed he had destroyed the victim’s phone with a baseball bat, which deputies later recovered from his truck. He also stated he had not deleted the text messages exchanged between himself and the victim.
After reviewing the messages and Mayo’s statement, deputies placed him under arrest. He was transported to Southern Regional Jail to await arraignment.
Mayo faces charges related to domestic battery, destruction of property and making terroristic threats. As of Tuesday afternoon, no court date had been set.
The case remains under investigation by the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office
