An Aberdeen man was arrested and held without bond after allegedly sending threatening messages to family members, including a photograph of himself pointing a weapon at an 8-year-old child, according to the Aberdeen Police Department.
Aberdeen police said officers responded just before midnight on June 23 to a home beside the Glenn Laurel neighborhood following a report of a domestic disturbance and threats of violence.
When officers arrived, they spoke with multiple adult women and an 8-year-old child.
The suspect, identified as Thomas Ringer, 50, of Aberdeen, had already left the scene, according to police.
Authorities said the women provided officers with messages in which Ringer allegedly threatened to kill them. Police also said Ringer allegedly sent a photograph showing himself holding a weapon and pointing it toward the child in a threatening manner. The image was accompanied by additional threatening messages directed at the child and other family members, according to investigators.
Based on the investigation, warrants were obtained charging Ringer with felony malicious assault in secret, misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, misdemeanor assault on a child under 12, misdemeanor child abuse, and misdemeanor communicating threats.
Police said officers were initially unable to locate Ringer. On June 24, he was found by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and taken into custody. He was transported to the Moore County line, where Aberdeen investigators assumed custody before taking him before a Moore County magistrate.
All charges are allegations, and Ringer is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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Photo via Moore County Detention Center. Information via Aberdeen Police Department.
