Man who beat woman, held her captive for hours before escaping, convicted

CARROLLTON, Ga. — A Carrollton man has been convicted of kidnapping and beating a woman for hours before she escaped.

Officers said the girlfriend of 28-year-old Nathaniel Bernhardt showed up to a Douglas County hospital with a swollen face and bruises on her face and neck on Mar. 30, 2023.

She told police that she was beaten and strangled over the course of six hours inside an apartment on Lovvorn Road. She told police that she had blacked out between 3 and 7 times from strangulation.

The woman told investigators that she had gotten out of the apartment, but was forced back inside.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

After a four-day trial, Bernhardt was convicted of felony acts of domestic violence against his girlfriend whom he lived with at the time of the attack. He was also charged with kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault by strangulation, false imprisonment, possession of more than an ounce of marijuana, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Officials said the “victim was initially cooperative with the law enforcement investigation and prosecution of the Defendant, but by the time the case went to trial, she did not want the Defendant prosecuted.”

A sentencing for Bernhardt will be scheduled soon, according to officials.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Protesters clash with police outside future site of Atlanta public safety training facility
• ‘A source of inspiration;’ Beloved Marietta teacher shot to death in downtown Atlanta, police say
• 20-year-old dies after mother’s ex-boyfriend shoots both of them in Gwinnett driveway, police say

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS;

A local teen started a lemonade stand that is making a difference (WSB-TV)

©2023 Cox Media Group