Man with 4 prior domestic violence convictions arrested after allegedly assaulting girlfriend

SANDUSKY – Robert Bates, 42, of Sandusky, was arrested a charged with a felony Saturday after he allegedly hit his girlfriend.

According to a report from the Sandusky Police Department, police were called to a Parish Street house for a man yelling.

When police arrived, according to the report, Bates told them that the man was yelling at him because he accused Bates of hitting his daughter. Bates, the report states, denied hitting the woman, who is also his live-in girlfriend.

According to the report, police then spoke to the man, who was located at 42nd and Hancock Street. He told police, according to the report, that he began yelling at Bates after he observed this daughter’s swollen lip.

The report states that police then spoke to the woman. Police observed that the right side of the woman’s face was swollen and red. They also observed that she had a swollen lip on the upper right portion of her mouth. According to the report, she reluctantly told police that Bates had assaulted her the day prior.

Bates was charged with Domestic Violence (F3) and Assault (M1). The Domestic Violence charge was elevated to a felony due to him having prior convictions in April 2013, October 2013, November 2014, and October 2015.