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AMERICAN FORK — A man already on probation for assaulting a former girlfriend and leaving her with a chipped tooth, is now accused of violently assaulting his current girlfriend and leaving her with a cut wound that went to the bone, according to prosecutors.
Paul Aaron Stewart, 27, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with three counts of aggravated assault, two second-degree felonies and a third-degree felony; intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, an infraction.
On Wednesday, Stewart asked his girlfriend to go out and get him some food, according to charging documents. When she returned, she noticed that his "level of impairment had substantially increased," the charges state.
The woman told police she does not know why Stewart was upset, and when she began asking questions, he punched her in the face with a closed fist, according to the charges.
"The victim reported that (Stewart) started to attack and strangle her," the charges state. "The victim stated that (Stewart) punched her several times all over her body. The victim stated that (Stewart) grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and approached the victim, lunging at her but missing her upper body. ... The victim reported that (Stewart) made a slashing motion with the knife, striking the victim's knee with the knife and cutting the knee open to show the bone."
The noise from the struggle prompted a neighbor to knock on the door, at which time Stewart left the residence, according to the charges.
The woman contacted a family member who took her to the hospital. She initially told medical staff that she fell down the stairs, the charges state. But hospital staffers said the injuries were "too significant for this to be plausible" and called police.
The cut to the woman's knee required 20 stitches, the charges state. Police wrote in the charging documents that they observed bruising all around the woman's neck and body, and "a dark black eye that was almost swollen shut." She also had a bite mark on her back.
"The victim was diagnosed with traumatic injury to the head and a brain concussion. The cut on (her) knee is directly on the knee joint. She is unable to walk because bending the knee would cause this wound to open with each step," the charging documents state. "The victim's sweater, pants, socks and shoes had soaked up blood."
Stewart was later found at his home and arrested. According to court records, he pleaded "no contest" and took a plea in abeyance to two counts of aggravated assault in 2021. Stewart was sentenced to three years of probation. In that case, Stewart was intoxicated and angry at his girlfriend, so he strangled her and threatened her with a knife, charging documents state. The woman had a tooth chipped from Stewart grabbing her face, according to the charges. He then took her keys and refused to let her leave the apartment for a month, police said.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
