Domestic violence is perceived by most people as an act in which men are the perpetrators and women the victims. Statistical studies abound to support this view, some almost overwhelmingly and others more conservatively. The numbers vary depending on the source, but evidence does coalesce around this view: Women are most frequently the victims of assault and other acts of domestic violence, but men, too, are commonly injured in these cases.

A recent incident in Clark County drives home that point. On August 18, a Hazel Dell woman was arraigned on charges that she beat her boyfriend to the extent that he was hospitalized for several days, even spending a portion of his time at Southwest Washington Medical Center in critical condition. The weapon she used was an upright vacuum cleaner, and it inflicted damage sufficient to fracture the man's skull and several facial bones.

The woman faces a first-degree assault charge, to which she has pleaded not guilty. The charge carries a minimum sentence of close to eight years in prison, with the potential to have five additional years tacked on as a deadly weapon enhancement; prosecutors say that the vacuum qualifies.

Police investigators stated that the woman went to a neighbor's home immediately after the incident, claiming that she had been attacked by the man. This allegation was deemed without merit, though, after an examination of her face and body revealed no injuries.

Related Resource: www.columbian.com "Vancouver woman pleads not guilty in vacuum cleaner beating" August 18, 2010