Jesse Eaton

A Butler man with a history of violence against an ex-girlfriend is accused of forcing the woman into his car and dragging her by the vehicle as he drove away.

Butler police today obtained a felony arrest warrant for 21-year-old Jesse James Eaton in connection with the assault Tuesday night.

The alleged victim, Amanda J. McCune, 22, of Butler, was not seriously injured but needed treatment at Butler Memorial Hospital, authorities said.

Police spoke to McCune at the hospital around 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, about 16 hours after the suspected altercation with the defendant.

She told investigators that she was at her home about 10 p.m. Tuesday when she noticed Eaton “circling” the neighborhood in a car, according to court documents.

He was honking the horn and calling for her to come outside, police said.

McCune on May 26 obtained a protection from abuse order that bars him from contacting her. Butler County Court records showed that the couple are the parents of a young daughter.

Despite the PFA, McCune went outside. Moments later, police said, Eaton pulled the victim “partially into the vehicle through the window.”

He drove off while holding McCune, who was being dragged down Garfield Avenue, police said. He eventually let go of the woman.

Officers described her injuries as a large bruise on the right leg and several smaller bruises on the arms.

Police charged Eaton with aggravated assault, a felony. He also was cited for driving with a suspended license-DUI related.

This was not the first time the suspect allegedly violated McCune’s PFA or assaulted her, according to police and court records.

Most recently, city officers on May 22 were called after Eaton contacted the victim at a downtown business. When police got there, the defendant struggled with officers before one of them deployed a Taser.

Eaton was charged with resisting arrest and placed in the Butler County Prison for the PFA violation.

He later admitted to the violation and was sentenced to three months in prison. He was credited with time served and released June 24.

In prior applications for PFAs, McCune outlined past incidences of abuse at the hands of Eaton, including when “he chased me down the street with a machete” in 2014.