GLOCESTER – A city man is facing felony charges after an alleged kidnapping and violent assault of a Glocester woman that ended with her escaping to call 911 after he fell asleep.
Nicholas Westenfelder, 31, of 204 Wells St. Woonsocket was charged with felony domestic violence, kidnapping and burglary, along with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct, larceny, refusal to relinquish a telephone and violation of a no contact order following the incident.
According to the arrest report, Glocester police were called to a home on Highland Lake Road around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 27. Officers met with the victim, who was bleeding from multiple locations on her face and was covered with bruises on her arms and ribs. The 37-year-old woman had swollen eyes, according to police, and her nose appeared broken.
“It was obvious to police that (the victim) had been severely assaulted,” the report notes.
The victim told officers she was sleeping at her friend’s mother’s house on Hemlock Road when she was awoken by Westenfelder, her ex boyfriend. Westenfellder had reportedly walked through an unlocked door of the home uninvited and grabbed the victim’s phone.
The victim told police Westenfelder pulled her off the couch pushing and shoving her out of the house and into his car, a 2008 Lincoln.
She said Westenfelder began hitting her with a closed fist while driving along Route 44. The victim said her attacker seemed intoxicated and that she was scared for her life.
The vehicle reportedly began to run out of gas and Westenfelder pulled over, parking near Pinewood Pub. The victim said she waited for him to fall asleep and then exited the car, running to her mother’s house to call 911.
Police found Westenfelder still asleep inside the vehicle. He appeared uninjured, but had a chunk of long brown hair on his jeans, and officers observed blood on his clothing, as well as a large amount of blood on his hands. The victim’s phone was also located inside the vehicle.
Westenfelder’s long rap sheet dates back to 2016, when he was arrested for domestic assault, breaking and entering, and disorderly conduct in Glocester, according to the state criminal database. In the years since, he’s had multiple charges for domestic violence as well as many counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, and other infractions.
In the latest incident, Westenfelder was held without bail, and the case was referred to a grand jury. He is due back in court for a pre-arraignment conference on Wednesday, July 23.
Send him to El Salvador!