An Illinois man was arrested early Sunday after allegedly slapping his wife in a West Des Moines motel.
Erik Gustavo Mota, 33, of 855 Westmoreland Dr., Vernon Hills, Illinois, was charged with first-offense domestic abuse assault-bodily injury or mental illness.
The incident began about 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the 100 block of Jordan Creek Parkway, where officers of the West Des Moines Police Department responded to a report of “a physical domestic,” according to court records.
The officers made contact with Mota and the victim inside the motel room.
Mota allegedly “admitted to hitting the victim on the left side of her face with an open hand,” according to court records.
The officers observed on the victim “a visible bruise on the left side of her face,” according to court records.
The victim told the officers that the bruise on her cheek was from Mota’s “hitting her in the face.”
Mota is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond. Aug. 25 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
