Man accused of beating, shaving woman's head

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Thomas Edward Romero Jr. COURTESY PHOTO

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November 28, 2011

Man accused of beating, shaving woman's head

Christin Coyne CNHI The Weatherford Democrat Mon Nov 28, 2011, 08:00 AM CST

AZLE — A Parker County man beat a woman unconscious last weekend, the Parker County Sheriff’s Office alleges, shaved her head and eyebrows and tried to prevent the injured woman from escaping by tying her with shoestring.

Thomas Edward Romero Jr., 40, was arrested Nov. 20 on charges of aggravated assault of a family member with a weapon and unlawful restraint - exposing to serious bodily injury after deputies received a 911 call shortly after 1 p.m. from the 100 block of Gunnison Court in the Azle area.

A responding deputy found a 32-year-old woman at a neighbor’s house with two swollen eyes, a cut on the right side of her head, swelling and bruising on the top of her head, bruising on both legs at the back of the knees and bruising on her stomach. The hair on her head and eyebrows had also been shaved, the arrest warrant affidavit stated.

The woman told police Romero became angry the morning of Nov. 19 and he began yelling at her when she told him she was leaving, the officer’s statement reads.

When she put her shoes on and began walking to the door, Romero closed the door and pushed her onto the couch, jumped on top of her and began hitting her with a closed fist more than 20 times, the affidavit alleges.

He also hit her with a computer monitor in the chest and stomach, according to the affidavit.

The woman told police the next thing she remembered was waking up to Romero using an electric shaver to shave her eyebrows and hair.

He reportedly told her that if she resisted he would do much worse to her, according to the affidavit.

After cutting her hair, she said Romero reportedly threw a lamp and glass at her, according to the affidavit.

When Romero began yelling at her again the afternoon of Nov. 20, she said she became afraid he would start hitting her again so she ran out the front door and went to a neighbor’s house for help, where they called 911, the affidavit states.

The officer saw Romero standing in the yard when he went to speak with the woman and later observed him sit down behind a wooden fence as the officer began walking up the driveway to speak to him, according to the affidavit.

Romero was arrested in February 2010 on a charge of assault of a family member by impeding breathing and in March and May 2010 on charges of violation of a protective order. Romero was convicted in July 2010 of the lesser charge of assault causing bodily injury and received two years probation.

Romero was released from the Parker County Jail Monday on $15,000 bond.

The Democrat was unable to contact Romero for comment by press time.