STARKE—A 22-year-old Starke man was sentenced to 12 months’ probation for hitting his girlfriend and dragging her back into their home after she left to help her mother move “some stuff.”
Holden Race Goodwin was also ordered to enter a batterers intervention program, undergo random drug and alcohol screenings, and have no hostile contact with the victim.
Goodwin, who pleaded to misdemeanor battery, was arrested on October 25, 2024. According to a complaint filed ten days earlier, the victim told deputies that when the defendant arrived home, she informed him she needed to go to her mother’s to help her move some items.
“Goodwin responded by becoming verbally aggressive and forbidding (the victim) from leaving,” wrote Deputy Michael Gillick in the complaint. “(The victim) told Goodwin she was going to bed and attempted to leave the residence through the back door. Goodwin heard the door open, exited the front door, and ran around the residence to stop her.”
The officer added that Goodwin grabbed the victim’s right arm and dragged her up the steps. He also hit her in the mouth, causing swelling in her mouth and face.
Gillick reported that the couple has at least one child in common.
