A Cambridge man is facing criminal charges and a woman was treated at the hospital after police allege he assaulted the woman and threatened her with a hatchet and shotgun.
Erik S. Bickmore, 22, of Cambridge, was arrested Sunday on charges of domestic violence assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and obstructing the report of a crime.
The arrest came after police got a domestic violence complaint from a Cambridge woman, saying that Bickmore assaulted her with his hands, causing bruises, cuts and abrasions to her body, according to a press release from Chief Deputy Dale Lancaster of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department.
He also threatened the woman with a hatchet and a loaded 12-gauge shotgun, according to Lancaster. Bickmore damaged a telephone to prevent the woman from calling for help, and also threatened to hurt her family if she went to police, he said.
A family member helped the woman to escape from the house and brought her to a hospital, where her injuries were treated and she was released.
“It is our belief that this is not the first incident of a domestic violence assault between the victim and Bickmore,” said Lancster in the release. “This was a very volatile situation and had the potential to end badly.”
Bickmore is in custody at the Somerset County Jail. Bail is set at $25,000 cash or $50,000 in property.
While police were searching his home they also located and seized 35 marijuana plants and charged Bickmore with cultivating marijuana.
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