Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza gave an update to the brutal assault of a woman in Lovetown Thursday.
Police and emergency response units were notified of a woman covered in blood lying in the front yard of a residence yesterday. She was taken to Southeast Health with traumatic injuries.
It’s believed the suspect in the early hours Thursday broke in to the victim’s home through the back door of the residence — appearing to have pried the door open — while the victim was in bed watching television.
Valenza said the suspect entered the bedroom and began a vicious assault, striking the victim several times with a claw hammer in the face, back of the head and chest.
Valenza noted the victim was struck multiple times with the hammer. He said it was amazing the victim survived after the seriousness of her injuries.
The victim lost consciousness but eventually came to and made it to a neighbor’s yard on Woodland Road before falling unconscious again. It’s unclear when she regained consciousness before neighbors discovered her in the yard when they woke Thursday morning.
Latarius My’lik Dale, 30, of Cowarts, was quickly identified as a suspect. He had been involved in a single-vehicle accident shortly after the time of the assault and was also taken to Southeast Health with minor injuries.
Dale and the victim were married but had been separated several months, and they have a young child together. The child was not in the house at the time of the assault.
Dale previously had a misdemeanor domestic violence charge from 2023, but that charge was dropped by a judge after the victim did not cooperate. It was not yet been confirmed if the victim of the previous domestic violence charge is the same from Thursday’s attack, but it is believed the victim is the same.
Dale was charged with first-degree domestic violence and first-degree burglary. He’s being held in the county jail with no bond on conditions of Aniah’s Law. Law enforcement took him from the hospital straight to the jail.
The victim still has very serious injuries. Sources say the victim got a protection order from Dale after Thursday’s assault.
