Man arrested after allegedly punching his disabled wife

A Maricopa man is facing assault charges after he allegedly punched his disabled wife in the face.

Antonio F. Santos is charged with Aggravated Assault – Domestic Violence, Assault – Domestic Violence, Endangerment – Domestic Violence, Disorderly Conduct – Domestic Violence and Threats – Domestic Violence, according to police.

Santos was arrested April 8, the day after an evening incident at the couple’s home on North Mac Neil Street in Homestead, police said.

According to a probable cause statement, Santos allegedly punched his wife in the face multiple times. The woman was injured with a scrape on the nose, bruising in both eyes and a subjunctival hemorrhage in her right eye, police said.

She also told police that her husband allegedly placed a pillow over her mouth and nose, telling her, “You know I could kill you.”

With a degenerative disease of the nervous system, the woman was immobile and unable to defend herself, police said.

The woman’s bruised eyes and bleeding eye were photographed by officers as evidence of the alleged crimes, the probable cause statement said. Her injuries were discovered the morning after the incident by a caregiver who said the wife did not have the injuries on the previous day, police said.

Santos denied the allegations, telling police his wife experienced hallucinations from her medication and often fell out of bed. His hands may have caused the injuries to his wife’s eyes, he told police, as he would try to pull her back into bed.