Inset: Justis Barnhouse (Gage County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The Walmart where the defendant’s girlfriend escaped from his clutches in Beatrice, Neb. (Google Maps).
In a dramatic turn of events in Nebraska, a Walmart staff member played a crucial role in helping a woman escape from a dangerous domestic situation, where her boyfriend allegedly strangled her and restricted her movements, according to local authorities.
Authorities have charged 31-year-old Justis Barnhouse with assault by strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, as announced by the Gage County Sheriff’s Office in a recent press release. The woman’s escape took place on Tuesday.
The victim, who is 16 years older than Barnhouse, reportedly wished to return to her Kansas home, just south of Nebraska, but was stopped by Barnhouse, who refused to let her retrieve her belongings from a camper, officials stated.
On the day she managed to flee, Barnhouse allegedly strangled her multiple times—between five and six, according to her account—and confiscated her cellphone, preventing her from contacting the authorities, the sheriff’s office reports.
The couple subsequently visited a Walmart in Beatrice, Nebraska, for reasons that remain unclear, which set the stage for her escape plan.
During their visit, the woman successfully caught the attention of a Walmart employee and requested the worker to accompany her to the bathroom, as per the sheriff’s office. Once there, she relayed details of the abuse, including the strangulation incidents, prompting the employee to alert law enforcement.
Deputies with the Gage County Sheriff’s Office eventually responded to the Diamond T Truck Stop Camper Row on U.S. Highway 77 just north of the Walmart — ostensibly because they had been notified that the couple was traveling there.
Barnhouse was at the filling station, and he was arrested and booked into the Gage County Detention Center.
