Assault charges filed after missing woman found

Assault charges have been filed against a man who allegedly carried his unresponsive girlfriend out of their South Hill home and placed her into a car Thursday evening. Spokane Police sought help from the public in locating Bench, his girlfriend and their two young children after a witness called in the report. They were located Friday morning and the woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The children were unharmed. Bench, who was arrested on warrants for driving with a suspended license, is now facing a charge of second-degree domestic violence assault. Police responded to the couple’s home five times this week attempting to check on the welfare of the woman after her family reported that they hadn’t heard from her in nearly two weeks. Each time officers got no response to their knocks even though the couple’s car was parked in the back yard. The case is still under investigation, said police spokeswoman Monique Cotton. “We suspect that there may be other additional incidents,” she said.