Hoffman Estates man charged with striking, threatening woman

For a Hoffman Estates man and woman, Independence Day concluded with a physical altercation that left her with bruises and a broken finger, prosecutors say.

James Wright, 39, faces domestic battery charges after prosecutors say he pushed, slapped and threatened the woman on July 4.

Wright, who authorities say has a pending domestic battery case in Indiana, was ordered held on $200,000 bail Thursday.

Prosecutors say Wright kept the woman's identification card from her that day, although they did not give a reason for his behavior. After the woman asked for it back, he pushed her into a grill, said Alyssa Grissom, Cook County assistant state's attorney.

Soon after, he flipped the ID at her and when she moved to pick it up, he slapped her and prevented her from retrieving her phone, Grissom said. Grabbing her hair, he ripped some of it from her head, then grabbed her neck and face, Grissom said. Wright then retrieved a butcher knife from the kitchen and threatened the woman, saying, "If you don't stop yelling I'm going to kill you," Grissom said.

Hearing the commotion, the woman's two children began yelling for help, authorities said. The woman collected her children and got into her car but Wright stood in the driver's door, preventing her from closing it, Grissom said. She succeeded in closing the door and pulled away with Wright still hanging onto the car, Grissom said.

According to prosecutors, Wright's background includes domestic battery convictions from Indiana in 2009 and 2010, for which he was sentenced to a total of six years, eight months. He has five misdemeanor convictions dating from 1996 to 2013 for domestic battery and violating an order of protection, among other charges.

If convicted, Wright faces up to three years in prison. He next appears in court on July 27.