Man charged with assault for allegedly head-butting woman

A woman was allegedly assaulted and when officers arrived on the scene they found her with blood on her face and the suspect, Frank McConnell, with a fishhook in his ear.

According to court documents, on April 17 Havre Police officers were dispatched to investigate a disturbance. They found Frank McConnell with scratches and a fishhook in his right ear and a woman with blood from her nose down to the bottom of her chin. Documents say she also had blood on her wrist.

Files say the woman told officers she came to McConnell’s place after he told her that he was throwing out her things because of relationship issues. She arrived and grabbed the fishing poles out of McConnell’s pickup and the two began to struggle over the poles.

The woman said that it was during the tussle for the fishing rods that a fishhook got caught in McConnell’s ear, documents say. She said McConnell grabbed her shirt and tried to take her to the apartment above his. He then head-butted her and gave her a bloody nose, files say.

Documents say officers noted that McConnell’s breath smelled of alcohol, and his eyes were bloodshot when he spoke to them.

McConnell told officers that he did tell the woman he threw her things out, but that he didn’t actually do it. He said after she arrived, she hit and scratched him, files say. McConnell told officers that the woman grabbed his fishing poles, broke them and hit him with them, causing the fishhook to get stuck in his ear.

Documents say McConnell said he grabbed the woman’s shirt and was taking her to his residence. During this time, he was telling her to behave, court documents say.

He said it was during this phase that she hit her face with a pole and ended up with a bloody nose, documents say.

But files say McConnell changed his story a couple of times.

McConnell said later that he put his arm out and she hit her face on it. When officers asked a third time, files say McConnell “changed his story once more” when he said that she “may have” hit her face against his head when he pulled her toward him just as he put his head down.

McConnell’s public defender has until June 6 to reserve motions and set hearing dates for the case.