Wed. April 16, 2008 Woman handcuffed to a cage

Hi, Everyone,
I had a great time in Georgia last week visiting with my beautiful sister and her handsome husband. Ate great food, visited lots of local points of interest and the weather was grand too.
For your information I am including an article about a woman handcuffed to a dog cage. Quite disturbing!

Police release details of abduction; husband taken from hospital to jail Wednesday, April 16, Robert Wang REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER

Local Headlines • Not the first time in cage for woman• CANTON (Ohio): A man accused of handcuffing his wife in a dog cage fired a gun several times at the floor near her feet while their 15-month-old child was in an adjoining room, police said. Matthew R. George was discharged Tuesday night from Akron City Hospital and booked into the Stark County Jail, police said. Police Lt. Jim Cole said after police issued an all-points bulletin for George, police officers in Springfield Township found him in his vehicle at the Red Roof Inn parking lot off Arlington Road. Cole said George had swallowed a large quantity of Tylenol pills and was transported to the hospital. Police have said that Matthew George and Mary Swihart were married in Las Vegas sometime last week. On Saturday, at George's home at 1205 19th St. NW, they had an argument that escalated, police said, when George punched Swihart in the mouth. The 26-year-old wife told police that George then grabbed her by the hair and forced her into a dog cage the size of a four-foot cube, in the dining room area. George uses the cage to house his two dogs — a pit bull and pit bull mix, Cole said. He then handcuffed the woman to the cage for several hours. "We've received information it was not the first time she had been put inside the cage," said Cole. Swihart told officers that George pointed his gun at her and threatened to kill her. He had a small flashlight affixed to the weapon, which he shined on her as he aimed the weapon at her. She frantically pleaded with him to let her out of the cage, police said. He let her out, handcuffed her to the outside of the cage and then fired the gun near her feet at least three times, police said. Swihart then begged him to let her out of the handcuffs, so she could go to the bathroom, Cole said. When he did, she grabbed their 15-month-old child from the adjoining room, screamed she was calling the police and fled from the house, police said. She was able to get to a neighbor's house and phone her father, who called 911. Police got to the duplex home around 4:50 p.m. and kicked in the door. George had fled through his backyard, Cole said, but left the .45-caliber handgun believed used to shoot at Swihart. Investigators found several shell casings on the floor. George was found in Springfield Township more than seven hours later. Police said Swihart, whose mouth and lip area was injured from being punched, is now with relatives. Her child, who is with her, was not hurt. Family members have declined to comment. Cole said the dogs who lived in the cage are in George's home, being cared for by George's family.