Richard Pendley

Name of Accused:
Pendley, Richard Zachary

Date of Arrest:
09/02/2024


Charges For Arrest:
Simple Battery
Battery
False Imprisonment
Aggravated Assault-Strangulation
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On 08/27/2024
I, Deputy Puckett, was dispatched to [100 BLOCK] Evergreen Trl Apt [REDACTED] in reference to a domestic altercation report. On scene I spoke with [VICTIM ]. [VICTIM ] was alone at the residence at this time and advised me that the incident in question occurred on Sunday 08/25/2024
.
When [VICTIM ] exited the residence to speak with me I immediately observed her to have deep bruising to the left eye and face. I was also able to observe a small scratch to her chin, deep bruising to her upper right arm, and deep bruising to the outer thigh on her right leg. There was also a small bruise on the back of her upper left arm which appeared to have been made by a finger tip. [VICTIM ] appeared visibly upset and scared.
[VICTIM ] said the incident she was reporting was between her and her boyfriend, Richard “Zach” Pendley. [VICTIM ] had returned from work on Sunday and was in the living room. Zach was heavily intoxicated according to [VICTIM ]. [VICTIM ] was trying to locate Zach’s car keys, which had been misplaced. Zach requested that [VICTIM ] join him in their shared bedroom to watch a video he wanted to watch. [VICTIM ] agreed to watch the video with Zach. However, before she made it to the room to watch the video, she sat down on the couch to rest for a short period of time. Zach entered the living room area and began getting angry that [VICTIM ] was sitting on the couch. [VICTIM ] apologized for sitting down and went into the bedroom with Zach.
While looking for the video that Zach wanted to watch, [VICTIM ] selected the wrong video. Zach grew even more upset and began to raise his voice calling [VICTIM ] a “Fu*king retard”. [VICTIM ] got out of the bed and began saying she was going to leave for the night before things got worse and began trying to gather her items to leave. When [VICTIM ] started trying to gather her items to leave, Zach became physical, trying to prevent her leaving. Approximately 30 minutes into the altercation, [VICTIM ] activated the camera on her cellphone and began to record the events without Zach knowing.
On the video, [VICTIM ] is heard saying repeatedly that she wanted to leave and that she was going to leave, that he had “crossed a line”. [VICTIM ] begins to move toward the door and Zach grabs her, forcing her to ground and holding her down. Zach holds [VICTIM ] down by laying on her back and wrapping his arm around her neck. [VICTIM ] is begging that Zach let her go so she can leave. Zach is refusing to let go while telling [VICTIM ] that she can not leave. Zach throws [VICTIM ] to the ground and holds her down several times. During one of those times, Zach again, wraps his arm arm around her neck and applies enough pressure to interfere with [VICTIM ]’s air flow and restricting her ability to breathe.
A short time later, the video shows that [VICTIM ] is in a seated position on the floor with Zach standing over her. [VICTIM ] is again pleading to leave the residence and Zach is refusing to allow her to leave. Zach then kicks [VICTIM ] in head/face. the kick lands to [VICTIM ]’s left eye, upper cheek area. [VICTIM ] is immediately heard screaming and crying from the kick. [VICTIM ] yells to Zach that he just gave her a black eye. Zach then begins apologizing and saying that he wanted to “change” for her. The video stops shortly there after.
[VICTIM ] told me that once the altercation finally ended, after approximately 1.5 hours, Zach began calling his friends and family members. [VICTIM ] went on to tell me Zach checked himself into a rehab facility, by the name of Peachford, in Atlanta. [VICTIM ] said Zach was supposed to be in the facility for 5 days before returning .
[VICTIM ]’s injuries were photographed using Body Worn Camera 955. [VICTIM ] was advised that I would be securing arrest warrants for Zach.
[End of Narrative]