By FARRAH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A 23-year-old man who struck his child’s mother in the face during a physical argument at his residence was on Friday ordered to compensate her for her injuries.
Godfrey Burrows was arrested after he shoved Moesha Stuart in the face causing her to bleed from the nose on March 12.
He pleaded guilty to one count of causing harm when he appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.
The court heard that day that Stuart had told police that her child’s father had twice punched her in the area of her nose causing her pain and injury. After she filed her complaint, Burrows was arrested and. taken to a nearby station. In an interview with police, he owned up to the allegations, but said he only hit Stuart after she had struck him with a cellphone.
During the hearing, Burrows told the magistrate the argument happened after his child’s mother came to his house to pick up their four-year-old son. He claimed when Stuart saw his current girlfriend in his home, she started to fight him, so he “shoved her to the face” in retaliation which caused her nose to bleed.
He was subsequently ordered to compensate Stuart $350 for her injuries. Magistrate McKinney also bound the accused over to keep the peace for one year. He said if Burrows was convicted of a crime within that time frame, he would be fined $500 or sentenced to three months in prison.
On Friday, Stuart and her boyfriend, Luther Russell, 21, were also charged in relation to the incident.
The prosecution said that during the argument on March 12, Stuart also assaulted Burrows. They also said Russell threatened to harm the first accused on the day in question.
When given an opportunity to speak, Stuart said when she picked up her son from Burrows’ house that day, she tried to go upstairs to talk with his sister. She claimed Burrows had another girl in his home and he thought she was going to fight her, so he “hit her first to be spiteful.”
Russell also told the magistrate that he only “challenged” Burrows after he had learned that he had struck his girlfriend. He insisted he never threatened Burrows and said he only asked him to “come outside” after the incident because he was trying to find out why Burrows hit Stuart.
After listening to their explanations, Magistrate McKinney also ordered Stuart and Russell to keep the peace for six months. He warned them if they failed to do so, they would be fined $400 or risk spending one month behind bars.
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