A St. Charles man struck his girlfriend with a computer power cord, a belt and his hand on Saturday, St. Charles Police said.

Ali Hadi Abaalharith, 25, of the 1600 block of Meyer Drive in St. Charles, was charged Monday with third-degree domestic assault.

St. Charles Police said Abaalharith struck the woman with a leather belt five or six times and told her to stay upstairs in a bedroom or “something bad would happen to her.”

Police gave the following account:

She went downstairs to smoke a cigarette, and Abaalharith grabbed her by the hair and dragged her upstairs. Once inside the bedroom, he struck her about 15 times with the power cord.

When he left, the woman called a friend and told her about it. The friend called police. When Abaalharith saw her talking on the phone, he grabbed it from her and removed the battery.

She fled the room. When he grabbed her on the stairwell, the woman screamed. Another man intervened and the woman fled outside, where she was met by police officers.           

It is Abaalharith’s second domestic assault charge against the same woman within six months. He was charged last April with second-degree domestic assault after police said he struck and choked the woman.

Abaalharith also stood over the woman with a screwdriver and told her, “Don’t make me go to jail because I kill you tonight,” according to the police report.

He is in the United States on a visa, according to court documents.

If you have experienced or know someone who has experienced domestic or sexual violence, find resources through the St. Louis Ending Violence Against Women Network (SLEVAWN) or call the Safe Connections 24-hour crisis hotline at 314-531-2003.

For more crime information on St. Charles Patch, see the following articles:

• Man Charged with Beating, Choking Woman in St. Charles
• Martineau Murdered Girlfriend in May 26 Attack, Police Say
• Police Say Man Told Wife He Would Shoot Her If She Walked Out the Door