Two people who saw what happened broke the door open and separated Matthew Roberts from the woman, police said.
BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Two people stepped in to rescue a woman from an ongoing assault in Morganton, police said.
On Aug. 22 around 6:15 p.m., Morganton Department of Public Safety officers responded to a business on West Union Street after learning about an assault. Officers were told the man was still actively assaulting a woman. When officers arrived, they found two people had intervened and had already separated the man from the woman.
The suspect, since identified as 26-year-old Matthew Shane Roberts of Valdese, pushed the door to the women’s bathroom open as the victim was leaving the bathroom, Morganton Police said. Roberts allegedly then pushed the victim back into the women’s bathroom and onto the ground, then locked the door behind him and began to assault the victim, according to police.
Two people who saw what happened broke the door open and separated Roberts from the woman as officers arrived, police said.
The woman was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries. Roberts was arrested and charged with felony kidnapping, assault on a female, and sexual battery.
“Morganton Department of Public Safety would like to express their gratitude to the individuals who stepped in and helped the victim in this case until officers could arrive,” the agency said in a news release.
