Lincoln man goes to district court on charges from life-threatening assault

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Lincoln man accused of brutally beating a woman pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Richard Thomas waived his preliminary hearing in Lancaster County Court, and the judge advanced his case to district court.

Court documents say Thomas, 34, went to an apartment near 27th and Randolph streets on Jan. 8 and asked for cigarettes.

The woman who lived there had a restraining order against Thomas, so she asked him to leave.

But an arrest affidavit says Thomas refused, barging into the apartment and assaulting her.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln man caused life-threatening injuries in brutal beating of woman, police say

He tried to strangle her and punched her five to six times in the ribcage, police said. He swung his fist as far back as he could each time, according to the affidavit.

Thomas then pulled the woman across the bedroom floor, the Lincoln Police Department said.

The assault finally stopped, according to the affidavit, when a neighbor loudly knocked on the door to make Thomas think the police were there.

Four days later, Lincoln Fire & Rescue took the woman to a hospital for “excruciating pain” in her ribs.

Doctors discovered that she had life-threatening injuries from the assault, including a hematoma and a cut on her spleen.

Thomas is charged with first-degree assault and assault by strangulation.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Lancaster County District Court on April 9.