A Charlotte couple is facing a long list of charges after a chaotic scene inside their home put four children in danger and ended with both parents trying to bite first responders.
According to arrest records, police were called to a home on Mahogany Drive Wednesday after a neighbor reported screaming, burning objects and what the caller described as “black magic rituals.”
The caller also reported seeing the mother badly bruised and expressed concern for the couple’s four children, ages 3, 5, 11 and 14.
When officers arrived, they reportedly heard screaming and saw objects being thrown inside. Police also found .22-caliber bullets and blood droplets leading toward the porch.
Officers said 35-year-old Gabriel Antonio Santos-Funes and 33-year-old Maria Valladares opened the door with their four children standing nearby. The home had broken glass, destroyed furniture, large knives, and blowtorch-style lighters strewn around. When officers entered the home, the parents began making confusing and contradictory statements about what happened.
Santos-Funes then allegedly began rubbing officers with garlic and a Bible. Police said Valladares was speaking rapidly and acting increasingly agitated.
Santos-Funes then began excessively spraying one child with cologne, then started throwing garlic cloves at an officer.
When police tried to arrest him, Valladares allegedly grabbed at an officer’s neck and attempted to bite his leg.
Authorities say Santos-Funes tried to take an officer’s baton and use it against him, and tried to bite an officer, a firefighter, and Valladares. A firefighter suffered a minor injury.
Both parents were arrested Thursday.
Santos-Funes faces charges that include:
- Multiple counts of misdemeanor child abuse
- Resisting a public officer
- Assault on a government official
- Assault with a deadly weapon on a government official
- Assault causing physical injury to emergency personnel
- Common-law robbery
- Discharging a firearm in the city
- Assault on a female
- Misdemeanor crime of domestic violence
His booking record lists a $10,000 secured bond on the resisting charge, with other charges consolidated or carrying separate bond conditions.
Valladares faces:
- Four counts of misdemeanor child abuse
- Resisting a public officer
- Assault on a government official
- Felony malicious conduct by a prisoner
Authorities say Valladares repeatedly spit at officers and inside a police vehicle after her arrest.
The incident remains under investigation.
