By WMBD TV
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Peoria man was charged Tuesday with allegedly seriously injuring his 72-year-old mother.
Matthew J. Howarter, 49, appeared in Peoria County Circuit Court on charges of aggravated domestic battery and unlawful restraint for the April 6 incident.
A judge granted prosecutors’ request for him to be held in custody at the county jail pending the outcome of the allegations. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.
The elderly mother remains hospitalized. She allegedly suffered a brain bleed, multiple facial fractures, and broken ribs, according to Anna Perales of the state’s attorney’s office.
According to prosecutors, officers with the Peoria Police Department were summoned to the Super 8 motel, located at 1816 W. War Memorial Drive, on a report of a woman who had been injured.
When officers arrived, they found the woman and her son, Howarter. The woman’s eyes were swollen shut and she had heavy bruising on her face, Perales said.
Prosecutors told the judge that the mother allegedly told police that her son, Howarter, punched her in the face and body for more than an hour. He also allegedly grabbed her by her neck and threw her into her oxygen tank.
She was not able to leave but was able to call the front desk once her son stepped out of the room, according to court records.
When they went to the room, officers allegedly found bloody bed sheets and pillowcases. There was blood on the wall next to the bed, prosecutors said. The room was “in disarray and the mattress was off the bed frame,” Perales said.
When questioned by police, Howarter claimed his mother’s injuries occurred when she fell off the bed and hit her face. He said he got blood on himself while helping her back up. Officers examined his hands and found cuts, bruises, and swelling around his knuckles, according to court records.
Tstory was originally reported by WMBD–TV and published on CIProud.com.
