SALYERSVILLE, Ky. — A Magoffin County man is in jail after being accused of a pair of brutal attacks.

Salyersville Police were called to Auxier Branch on Saturday after a caller reported a woman covered in blood walking on Dixie Avenue. When an officer arrived, the woman could not be located, but he found a man limping.

The man told the officer that a man had beat him with a baseball bat, but he did not want to press charges because he was afraid of retaliation.

The officer then learned that the woman was at a residence and went to interview her. She told police she was walking from a friend’s house when someone hit her from behind with a blunt object. The officer noted the woman had cuts and two large knots on her head and her ear was nearly severed.

After interviewing other witnesses, police charged 42-year-old Benjie Salyer, of Salyersville, with first- and second-degree assault. The victims turned out to be Salyers’ girlfriend and a man dating his sister.

When questioned about the incidents, the officer said Salyer asked for time to think about what happened, saying his memory was foggy. After 30-to-45 minutes of thinking, he told police he had nothing to do with the attacks.

Salyer is being held without bond in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.