Man accused of beating woman in pasta dish dispute charged with attempted murder in SC
A woman beaten during a dispute over pasta was left with a broken nose and “significant” swelling, officials said.
Now, a South Carolina man accused of assaulting her and shooting at her is charged with attempted murder.
The man — identified in an incident report as James Howard Moultrie Jr. — was arrested on Monday, June 20. An online court record system didn’t list attorney information for him as of June 22.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said Moultrie was at a home last week when he got angry that a woman “did not bake him chicken (fettuccine).” The two were in a “heated” argument before Moultrie pushed the woman onto the floor, according to officials.
A 4-year-old child reportedly was “within sight” and had “covered his ears during the incident.” The woman then took the boy out of the home, but when she came back, Moultrie punched her, choked her and “put his hand over her mouth and nose,” deputies wrote in an incident report.
Officials said Moultrie assaulted the woman on June 17 in Mount Pleasant, outside of Charleston.
While the woman was reporting the assault, she told police about an earlier confrontation with the man. She said she was arguing with Moultrie at the same home when she tried to drive away on May 17, according to the incident report.
While the woman was sitting in the driver’s seat of her car, Moultrie is accused of firing a gun at her. A projectile later was found lodged her passenger’s side door, officials said.
Moultrie faces charges of attempted murder and unlawful conduct toward a child after accusations that he put the 4-year-old “at unreasonable risk of harm affecting his physical and mental health, and safety.”
Moultrie — a 31-year-old from the Charleston area — was arrested and posted bond. He was released from jail with the condition that he avoid contacting the woman and her relatives, records show.
