Woman Faces Charges After Fork Attack on Husband

[FamilyGal]

He doesn't want them to press charges. I imagine she has done this before. I can't imagine doing that, especially in a public place.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/4955705.html


Associated Press

PLYMOUTH, Mich. — Despite an 86-year-old man's objections, his wife will stand trial on accusations of stabbing him with a fork during a restaurant food fight.

Earlier charges against 47-year-old Kelly Campbell-Baumgartner were dropped when William Baumgartner denied he had been stabbed and said he had no interest in bringing charges against his wife.

But after another diner at the restaurant came forward, Canton Township Police and the Wayne County prosecutor's office decided to file new charges, and a judge agreed there was enough evidence to try the wife on a felonious assault charge.

"She was waving her fork at him and pointing it at him and yelling," Carl J. Schultz Jr. testified. "She was taking food off his plate with the fork and flinging it at him."

Schultz said Campbell-Baumgartner leaned across the table at the suburban Detroit restaurant April 22 and nicked her husband's face with the fork. He said he saw blood on Baumgartner's face.

On the witness stand Monday, the husband continued to stick by his wife, The Detroit News reported.

"If I am the complainant of this I have nothing to complain about," Baumgartner said. "If I am the victim, I have nothing to be the victim of."

After the testimony, District Judge Michael Gerou said there was enough evidence for a trial on the charge, which can carry up to four years in prison.

The couple left court holding hands.

[Wilson]

Some people know no boundaries (the public place thing). I wonder what his mental state is and what is going to happen to him if she is jailed. Like if he is afraid of being put into a nursing home or something?

[LarkinJoanna]

86 and 47 :eek: When I first started reading this story I was sure it was going to have a woman about his age who had dementia. My mom did some really strange things before she passed away. At the time she was in the mid-stages of dementia and still at home with my dad. But 47 :(

[eaglesprings]

We sometimes hear news stories about "elder abuse," but it is usually kids or caregivers towards parents, not spouses.

Yeah, I think something stinks to high heaven with this story! There are times I think the state shouldn't get involved and respect the wishes of the parties involved, but I don't think this is one of those times.

I guess I wouldn't make the jury pool.

[FamilyGal]

I imagine it is an abusive relationship and he is like the many abused wives we see not want to press charges on their spouse. I'm sure she swore she would never do it again or even made him believe he pushed her buttons which caused her to react. So sad.

My cousin recently had her boyfriend beat her up and try to choke her. He was arrested and when he got out, she let him come right back to her place. "He doesn't have anywhere else to live," she says. Ugh. You just can't get it through some people's head to get rid of losers like that.

[Sysgoddess]

Obviously they don't have a domestic violence act in that township or city or the prosecutor would be filing charges not the victim and he would have no choice in the matter. Even if he perjured himself there were probably enough other witnesses that she would have been convicted. Poor guy.