Man jailed after beating of girlfriend

A Carson City man remained in custody Monday after allegedly brutalizing his girlfriend and keeping her locked up in a closet, according to the arrest report.

Esiquio Hernandez, 33, was arrested at 4:40 p.m. Saturday on suspicion of felony mayhem, battery with a deadly weapon, battery with substantial bodily harm, third-offense domestic battery, false imprisonment and misdemeanor obstructing.

According to the arrest report, a deputy was called out to the 900 block of Saliman Road on a report of a domestic dispute. When the deputy knocked, no one answered, but witnesses came forward to report they saw a man from the apartment shove a woman to the ground and then drag her kicking and screaming back inside.

The officer then pounded on the door and from inside he heard a voice say, "You're going to have to come in and get me," the report states. The officer could also hear a woman inside screaming. After getting approval, officers kicked in the door.

"Esiquio Hernandez was immediately detained while lounging on a mattress watching television right next to the door that was being banged upon," the report states.

The woman was found "in the fetal position, tucked behind a large hutch," according to the report.

"I could immediately see her lip was split, strangulation marks on her neck, dried blood in and on her ears," Deputy Gary Denham wrote in his report.

The woman told officers Hernandez hit her in the head several times with a hammer, made her eat food he'd urinated on, locked her nude in the closet while he was at work and smeared a Tabasco-saturated rag on her face and eyes, according to police.

According to the report, the woman said that she'd endured the abuse for several months and that Hernandez repeatedly threatened to rape her with a knife. An advocate for victims of domestic violence noted several "poking type" wounds on the woman's body. Hernandez also allegedly would not allow the woman to leave the apartment, choked her into unconsciousness at some point, cut her arms with a razor blade and he would not let her call her family.

Hernandez is being held on $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for August.