One arrested for sexual battery, other charges more than three years after incident

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. – A man was arrested for sexual battery and other charges on Thursday more than three years after the incident, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Henry Eaton was arrested by the St. Joseph County Police Department on Thursday morning and is being held with no bond at the St. Joseph County Jail.

On August 19, 2018, the South Bend Police Department was called for a report of an assault.

An officer arrived at the scene and found a female crying and noticeably upset walking around outside.

The woman said Henry Eaton had assaulted her, reports said.

The victim said the night before, Eaton called her wanting to see the victim’s children.

When Eaton arrived at the house, the victim left so he could visit with the children and there would be no conflict between the two of them.

The victim stayed with her neighbors overnight.

In the morning, the victim returned to her house and asked Eaton to leave but Eaton refused, reports said.

Eaton and the victim began to argue.

Eaton said “I’m gonna black your face,” according to reports.  

The victim told Eaton he was not going to put his hands on her.

Eaton grabbed the victim by the hair, pulling her head back, and then slapped and hit the victim on the face, according to court documents.

Eaton repeatedly pulled the victim’s hair and eventually pulled her up the stairs, according to reports.

The victim said one of the children was crying for Eaton to stop hurting the victim.

The victim yelled for one of the other children to go get help at the neighbors.

Eaton told the victim to “shut the [expletive deleted] up,” reports said.  

He then pushed the victim down and tried to pull her pants down and also tried to touch her inappropriately, according to reports.

Eaton laid on top of the victim and used his body weight to control her, reports said.

He reached down to try to touch the victim inappropriately and said, “this is all I wanted. You don’t want me,” according to court documents. 

The victim was curling up and rolling around and eventually Eaton rolled off of her.

The victim got up and went downstairs, where she was met by a neighbor who helped the victim and the children to her house.

The victim had swelling to her face, reports said.

When an investigator spoke with the neighbor, she said the victim had come over to her house because she did not want to be around Eaton.

Eaton called the victim and was cursing at her and demanding to know where she was, reports said.

The victim would not tell Eaton where she was but told Eaton she was afraid he would end up assaulting her.

Eaton said “that she deserved it,” according to reports.

Sometime later, the victim told the neighbor that she was going back to her house.

Shortly after the victim left, the neighbor saw the children running towards her house.

One of the children told the neighbor to help his mom and that Eaton had drug her up the stairs and they were fighting, reports said.

The neighbor ran to the house and heard Eaton screaming and the victim crying as she entered the house.

The neighbor then heard what sounded like someone was falling down the stairs and found the victim in the kitchen.

The neighbor took the victim to her house and told her husband to lock their doors.

Eaton came to the neighbor’s house and tried to get in but the neighbor’s husband prevented him from doing so, reports said.

The husband told Eaton to leave the property.

The neighbor noticed swelling to the victim’s face.

The neighbor’s husband also spoke to investigators and said Eaton was mad because he didn’t know where the victim was.

The victim was at the neighbor’s house hiding but eventually went home.

Shortly after, the victim’s children came running over and the neighbor ran over to the victim’s house.

The neighbor then returned to her house with the victim.

Eaton then came over and tried to push his way into the house but the neighbor’s husband would not let Eaton in, reports said.

Investigators reviewed court records and found that there is an active no contact order protecting the victim and the defendant in the case is Eaton, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The ordered was issued in February 2018, reports said.

Eaton is being charged with invasion of privacy – violates a no contact order issued, domestic battery, residential entry, and sexual battery.