IRVING, Texas - A 38-year-old man is facing multiple charges after Irving Police say he entered his ex-wife's apartment without permission, damaged her belongings and held a knife against her chest before breaking her phone when she attempted to call 911.
Irving Police officers responded at approximately 8:18 a.m. on Aug. 13 to a domestic disturbance in progress at the Sedona Park Apartments in the 4200 block of West Northgate Drive.
Dispatch information indicated that a woman's estranged husband, who did not live at the apartment, had allegedly placed a knife against her body.
When officers arrived, they encountered Francisco Antonio Arevalo-Romero, 38, as he was leaving the apartment involved in the call. Officers detained him without incident.
The 33-year-old victim told investigators that she and Arevalo-Romero had been legally divorced for more than two years and that he did not live at her residence.
According to the arrest report, the woman said she stepped outside to take out the trash when Arevalo-Romero ran into her apartment without her permission.
Once inside, he allegedly began damaging her personal property, including televisions, glasses and a phone. The woman told him to leave, but he refused, and an argument followed.
Woman Says Knife Was Held Against Her Chest
During the confrontation, Arevalo-Romero allegedly pulled out a pocket knife and held it against the woman's chest, causing her to fear for her life.
When the victim told him she was calling 911, police said Arevalo-Romero grabbed her phone and broke it, preventing her from using the device to seek emergency assistance.
The woman was eventually able to escape from the apartment and went to a neighbor's residence, where she called 911.
Police also determined that Arevalo-Romero had an active arrest warrant.
He was taken into custody and initially charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. According to the case information, that charge was later upgraded to Burglary of a Habitation, a first-degree felony.
Arevalo-Romero was also charged with Interference with Emergency Request for Assistance and booked on an outstanding warrant for insufficient bond related to a drug possession case.
Federal immigration authorities also requested an ICE immigration hold for Arevalo-Romero on the basis that he is allegedly in the United States unlawfully.
