Walmart Employee Saved Woman from Boyfriend After He Allegedly Strangled Her 5-6 Times Before Going to Store By Samira Asma-Sadeque

A Nebraska man was arrested after his girlfriend sought help from a Walmart employee, alleging that he assaulted her and prevented her from escaping.

Justis Barnhouse, 31, was taken into custody at a truck stop on U.S. Highway 77 north of Beatrice, Neb., by officers responding to a report of an assault on Tuesday, Oct. 28, the Gage County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Barnhouse’s girlfriend, a 47-year-old Hutchinson, Kan. woman alleged to police that he had strangled her between five to six times that afternoon, per the statement.

PEOPLE is not naming the woman as she is an alleged victim of domestic violence.

The woman further accused Barnhouse of taking her cellphone which prevented her from calling law enforcement. He also allegedly held her for two days while she tried to retrieve her belongings from the camper so she could return to Kansas, the sheriff’s office said in their statement.

The two later went to a Walmart in Beatrice.

At the store, the woman was able to communicate to an employee to follow her to the bathroom, where she told the employee about the alleged strangulation that had happened earlier that afternoon.

The employee then reported the incident to police.

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Officers arrested Barnhouse on charges of assault by strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, per the statement.

It wasn’t immediately clear if he has entered pleas or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.