Man accused of beating woman for reporting past abuse - East Idaho News
Crime Watch

Man accused of beating woman for reporting past abuse

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Editor’s note: This article contains descriptions of a violent crime. Reader discretion is advised.

UPDATE

The charge against Sage Coy Knowles were dropped on Sept. 4.

ORIGIONAL

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls man is behind bars after deputies say he beat a woman for notifying authorities about previous abuse.

Sage Coy Knowles, 46, is charged with felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm for allegedly beating the woman. If convicted, he could spend up to 15 years in prison.

According to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, Bonneville County Sheriff deputies found a woman with broken ribs, bruised lungs and a lacerated liver at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center on June 13. The woman told deputies Knowles attacked her while they were driving in the county.

The victim told investigators the attack happened on Taylor Mountain Road where the road turns to gravel. Knowles kept calling her a “rat,” because she had reported him to authorities after another incident of battery occurred in Bingham County.

Details of that alleged battery are unclear and it is unknown if the victim in the Bonneville County case is the same as the incident in Bingham County. During that incident, police went to speak to Knowles about the battery allegations and discovered drugs in his possession. He was arrested and jailed on drug charges. Knowles was released from jail in Bingham County prior to the most recent incident of alleged abuse, according to court records.

As Knowles and the victim were driving, the argument escalated. The victim told deputies Knowles punched her side so hard, he knocked the wind out of her. Knowles then grabbed her hair and slammed her head into the steering wheel, according to court documents.

“(Knowles) told her that he was going to kill her, and she needed to die,” according to court documents. “He also told her that she was the worse person he had ever met.”

She managed to stop the car and get out of the vehicle, but deputies say Knowles picked her up and threw her back into the car, which caused her further pain. The victim told investigators Knowles used his feet to “smash” her back into the steering wheel.

“Sage told (the victim) to drive, and she did not want to as she was in so much pain and was having difficulty breathing,” according to court documents.

The victim told deputies Knowles then grabbed her head and pushed her towards the passenger seat, twisting her neck to the point she thought it would snap, according to court documents.

“Sage then drove around with (the victim) in the passenger seat, pleading for him to take her to the hospital,” according to court documents. “Sage drove around for an hour and a half before he finally took her to the hospital.”

Knowles was arrested on Aug. 13. Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Bryan Lovell said it took some time to locate Knowles before he could be arrested.

Knowles remains held in the Bonneville County Jail on $50,000 bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28.

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