MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A man accused of holding his wife at knifepoint, strangling her and threatening to kill her was arrested after deputies found him concealed behind a bed at a Princeton-area home, according to criminal complaints.
Tyler Robert Kirk, 32, was taken into custody October 1 on active warrants for domestic battery, third offense, and strangulation. His brother, Garrett Kirk, 26, was also arrested and charged with obstruction after allegedly telling deputies Tyler was not inside the residence.
The investigation began September 30, when Mercer County deputies responded to a reported domestic assault on Lamar Road in Matoaka.
Kirk’s wife told deputies the incident began around 2 p.m. the previous day outside Dollar General in Lashmeet. She said Kirk entered her vehicle, held a utility knife against her throat and ordered her to drive.
According to her statement, Kirk directed her to a location near a camper in Matoaka, where he choked her until her vision began turning gray. She said her next memory was waking on the ground. Kirk then allegedly hit her and threatened to kill her.
The woman also reported that Kirk attempted to force an unidentified white substance into her mouth. Later, she said, he held the knife against her ribs while directing her to a secluded location on Cabin Branch Road in Lashmeet.
She told deputies Kirk continued hitting her, pulled her hair and repeatedly struck the back of her head. She reported a broken tooth and said she stayed awake overnight because she feared he would kill her.
The following morning, the woman said she convinced Kirk to let her go to her mother’s residence, claiming she needed to attend court for a speeding ticket. According to the complaint, Kirk threatened to kill her if she made “one wrong move” and demanded that she not contact law enforcement.
After Kirk exited the vehicle, she drove to her mother’s home and called 911.
A deputy documented red marks on her neck, a head wound and areas of missing hair. The woman also retrieved the utility knife from her vehicle and provided it to deputies. EMS transported her to Princeton Community Hospital for evaluation.
On October 1, deputies investigating Kirk’s whereabouts went to a home on Your Way near Princeton after receiving information from the woman and obtaining cellphone location data.
Deputies did not find Kirk during an initial search. Garrett Kirk allegedly told them he had not seen his brother in about three days and that Tyler was not inside. According to the complaint, Garrett acknowledged that deputies had informed him of his brother’s warrants the day before.
With the homeowner’s permission, deputies searched again and found Tyler Kirk concealed between a wall and a bed in a back bedroom, covered by blankets and pillows.
Both brothers were arrested and taken to the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office for processing. The charges are allegations, and both are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
