Last week, law enforcement in Nebraska received a report from a 47-year-old woman claiming her 31-year-old boyfriend had strangled her multiple times that day and was preventing her from contacting the police or leaving. The woman eventually found a way to alert the authorities with the assistance of a Walmart employee.
According to officials, Barnhouse had not allowed her to leave their residence for two days while she tried to collect her belongings from a camper to go back home to Kansas.
The Gage County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the Diamond T truck stop camper area on Route 77, just north of Beatrice, around 5:45 p.m. on October 28. They were responding to reports of an earlier assault.
Upon arrival, deputies spoke with the woman, who explained that her boyfriend, Justice Barnhouse, had strangled her multiple times that afternoon. Barnhouse reportedly took her phone to stop her from contacting law enforcement, adding further distress to her situation.
When they visited a Walmart in Beatrice, the woman managed to catch the attention of an employee, who guided her to the restroom. There, she was able to relay the details of her ordeal, prompting the employee to inform the police.
Upon their arrival at the truck stop, law enforcement recognized Barnhouse and arrested him on charges of assault by strangulation and third-degree domestic assault. He was taken to the Gage County Detention Center, where he remained incarcerated as of Wednesday morning.
