By: Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A Stillwater man with an extensive criminal record was arraigned Tuesday on felony charges of kidnapping a woman with whom he had a relationship, breaking into her house, and choking her — five months after he had been released from the Payne County Jail where he served 263 days for aggravated assault and battery in 2019, court records show.
If convicted in his new case, Robert Lavell “Greg” Carter, 52, now jailed on $25,000 bail, could receive as much as three life prison terms. Carter has been ordered to appear before a Payne County judge on Dec. 10 to have a preliminary hearing date set on his three-count charge filed last month.
A woman went to the Stillwater police station on Oct. 13 at 11:39 am to report that she had been physically assaulted and forced to remain in the home of Carter from Oct. 11 until Oct. 12 at about 1 p.m., Officer Rachel Bruce alleged in an affidavit.
The woman said she had moved into her home about three months earlier and befriended Carter, who lived across the street, the affidavit said. She said that she had sexual relations during that time period with Carter, who referred to her “as his ‘woman’ and his ‘girlfriend’ though she did not feel the same,” the affidavit alleged.
She said “she had been limiting contact with Carter because she was fearful of him and had been previously physically assaulted by him,” the affidavit alleged.
She said that on Oct. 11 “her children had just left from checking on her when Carter entered her home without her permission,” after she forgot to lock her front door, the affidavit alleged.
She said she was still very afraid of Carter and “knew Carter was angry with her due to a comment she had made to a neighbor about him,” the affidavit alleged.
“However, she attempted to smooth things over by offering him dinner,” which he ate “and them immediately confronted her about the statements she made to the neighbor,” before punching her in the face,” the affidavit alleged.
“She reported her cell phone had been laying on the coffee table in the living room, but Carter had taken her cell phone and put it in his pocket. She was unable to call anyone for help. She also reported Carter had taken her keys, which had been hanging up by the door,” the affidavit alleged.
“After punching her and asking her why she made the comments to the neighbor, (she) reported Carter began ‘choking’ her,” approximately five times, the affidavit alleged.
“She reported she could not breathe and Carter would cut off her air supply for approximately 10 to 15 seconds each time. She stated Carter placed both his hands around her neck each time,” the affidavit alleged.
The woman said “she felt Carter had experience with ‘choking’ people because when she was about to lose consciousness he would release his grip. When she regained her ‘composure,’ Carter would begin strangling her again,” the affidavit alleged.
She said while he strangled her, “Carter told her he was going to kill her, called her names and threatened to have people come to her home. She also reported Carter punched her in the back of the head and stomach. As he choked her, he bit her lip, shoulder and face,” the affidavit alleged.
While speaking to the Stillwater police officer, the woman “removed her mask and I was able to see the left side of her jaw was very swollen. She stated she had difficulty opening her mouth and it was painful, She also showed me her left shoulder. There appeared to be a healing abrasion on the upper part of her left arm,” that she said was a bite mark from Carter, the officer alleged in her affidavit.
“On her chest, (she) showed me a circular bruise, which is one of the places she reported Carter had bitten her a week prior,” the officer alleged in her affidavit.
“She stated when Carter stopped strangling her, he realized he had injured her. She stated he stood her up, forced her to get ice to put ice on her face, and then placed a sharp item in her back,” that she thought was a screw, the affidavit alleged.
She “reported Carter then forced her to walk across the street to his residence, while carrying the ice. As Carter was leading her across the street, (she) stated he was telling her that everyone was seeing her voluntarily walking with him to his house. (She) told me that in an effort to get away from Carter, she dropped the ice and took off running and screaming. Carter then grabbed her and picked her up and took her into his house,” where she was forced to remain with him until about 1 pm on Oct. 12, the officer alleged in her affidavit.
She “told me Carter has multiple locks on his front door and had them all locked. She felt there was no way for her to safely escape Carter because he watched her every move. (She) told me she was afraid if she moved toward the front door or tried to escape that Carter would harm her or kill her. (She) told me she pretended to cooperate with Carter and tried to appease him,” the officer alleged in her affidavit.
She said that “Carter wanted her to say she loved him, so she did. She also tried to calm him down and tell him that everything was okay. While in his home, (she) reported Carter made her shower, brush her teeth and put ice cubes on her injuries to help them heal. (She) stated Carter would inspect her injuries to ensure they were healing. (She) told me she had to ask permission to use the bathroom,” and Carter would watch her use the toilet because he did not trust her to be alone, the officer alleged in her affidavit.
“When Carter was satisfied that (she) would comply and cooperate with him, she reported he opened the front door of his home and went outside. (She) stated Carter made the mistake of leaving her cell phone in the house with her,” so she quickly called her brother and told him she was in trouble before quickly hanging up, the affidavit alleged.
She said “Carter let her out of his house after he felt satisfied she was not going to tell anyone what happened. She then was allowed to go to her house. (She) reported Carter keep a watchful eye on her and remained close to her home,” the affidavit alleged.
However, her brother arrived and picked her up at her house, where she had not been since leaving on Oct. 12, the affidavit alleged.
According to the state Department of Corrections, Carter has a 33-year criminal record including:
* unauthorized use of a vehicle in Logan County in 1986 for which he was placed on two years’ probation in 1987;
* grand larceny in 1987 in Payne County for which he was given a two-year prison term of which he served 20 months;
* grand larceny in 1988 in Payne County for which he was given a concurrent three-year prison term of which he served two years and four months;
* multiple counts of petty larceny in 1991 in Payne County for which he was given prison terms of three years and seven years that he served between 1991 and 2000 after his probation was apparently revoked;
* larceny from a house in 1995 in Payne County for which he was given a 10-year prison term of which he served about half;
* second-degree burglary in 1996 in Payne County for which he was given a concurrent 19-year prison term of which he served eight years and four months;
* second-degree burglary in 1995 in Payne County for which he was given a concurrent 19-year prison term of which he served eight years and four months;
* shoplifting in 1993 in Payne County for which he was given a 15-year prison term that he began serving in 2000 from which he was paroled in 2005.
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