An Oakland County probationer is accused of attempted murder for attacking his fiance with a chainsaw, dragging her through a fire and repeatedly kicking her in Clare County on Wednesday.
Robert Joseph Presley Jr, 46, was charged Friday with several felonies, including attempted murder and torture, both punishable by up to life in prison.
Clare County Prosecutor Michelle Ambrozaitis said Presley drove to the Clare County Sheriff’s Department after the attack to report that his fiance had attacked him.
“He attacked the victim with a chainsaw, drug her through a fire, and hit and kicked her until she was able to get away from him and run for help,” Ambrozaitis said.
A passing motorist took the woman, who is 38 and from Madison Heights, to an emergency room.
The attack happened at a remote Redding Township cabin owned by Presley in the village of Temple, west of Harrison.
Presley, who was on probation for drunken driving and earlier weapons offenses in
Oakland County, was arrested at the sheriff’s department when weapons were seen in his vehicle.
“It was determined that not only was he intoxicated when he drove to the sheriff’s department, but he also had nine firearms and ammunition within plain sight inside his vehicle,” Ambrozaitis said.
Presley was arraigned Friday by Magistrate Steven Worpell in 80th District Court in Harrison. He was ordered jailed on a $1.2 million bond.
Besides attempted murder and torture, he’s charged with nine counts of being a felon possessing weapons, being a felon with ammunition, drunken driving, second offense drunken driving and being an habitual offender.
Presley was forbidden from owning or possessing weapons after entering a plea in a 2016 case in which he was driving drunk with weapons that included a sawed-off shotgun.
He was on probation until October of this year in that case, which occurred in Oakland County.
Presley faces an initial court hearing June 21 and a preliminary exam at 9 a.m. on June 27.
A condition report on the victim, whose name has not been releaased, was not available.