A man who said he was “tired of hearing voices” was arrested after attacking a woman in the Village of Mallory Square.
The woman fled her home on Lynchburg Loop on Wednesday night after she was attacked by 54-year-old Robert David Martin Jr., who resides with her. She sought refuge at a neighbor’s home until Sumter County sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene.
Earlier in the day, Martin told the woman he had tried to kill himself while the woman was out. The attempt was unsuccessful because Martin couldn’t figure out how to load a shotgun.
The woman said Martin has had mental “issues” for approximately 22 months. The woman told deputies that Martin “hears approximately three voices in his head and cannot concentrate doing daily activities.” He had been sober for 35 days, but consumed a large quantity of alcoholic beverages before the attack.
Martin got angry and threw a plastic leaf tray at the woman, striking her left arm. He then threw his laptop computer and television remote at her, but he missed. He then started striking her in the face with his fist. She attempted to protect herself and curled up in a “ball” on the floor. He then kicked her.
She went outside to a patio area. Martin followed her and knocked her eyeglasses off her face. When she went to retrieve her glasses, she found a knife from her kitchen in the grass. She put the knife in the hedges and headed for her neighbor’s house.
Martin was arrested on a charge of battery and was initially held without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center. After a first appearance in court, a judge set bond at $10,000.
