FRANKLIN
A man from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, is in custody after being arrested on a charge of attempted murder on Tuesday in Franklin.

Capt. Tim Whitt, spokesman for the Franklin Police Department, said officers were notified at 10:58 p.m. of an unknown disturbance at the Days Inn at 1660 Armory Drive. Once there, they found a woman with significant injuries to her face as she staggered into the parking lot asking for help. The victim was 36-year-old Yolanda Coleman, also of Rocky Mount; she was taken to Southampton Memorial Hospital for treatment. Kim Marks, the hospital’s CEO, said Coleman was treated and released.

After investigation, Whitt said, it was learned that the suspect, Codi Terrell Batts, 27, had “returned to the room intoxicated and allegedly began to attack her without provocation. The victim stated that Batts struck her in the face with his fists, attempted to strike her with a chain, threw a microwave at her, struck her in the face with a hand weight, bit her on her back, and held her down on the bed and choked her, he also held her in the room against her will. The victim stated that Batts made threats to ‘kill her’ as well.”

Batts, of 1138 Pitts St., then used Coleman’s vehicle to flee.

Following a search warrant, the room was entered and evidence of the attack was collected.

Warrants for Batts’ arrest was made and an area-wide broadcast was issued. The suspect was caught by Chesapeake police later that night at U.S. 17 and the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail on a charge of driving while intoxicated. Franklin also served warrants. Other charges are abduction, strangulation and grand larceny of a motor vehicle.

Batts is being held at the Chesapeake City Jail, according to Ravi Sheth, a spokesman for that city’s police department.