PORTSMOUTH — It was shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday when City Council member De’Andre Barnes called 911 to report that an armed man he didn’t know was trying to break into his house, according to police and a court document.
Later in the call, Barnes told the dispatcher it was his estranged wife, her children and a man with the same last name as his estranged wife, who were trying to get in, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Portsmouth Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
Barnes’ wife told officers she was trying to get some things out of the house but Barnes had changed the locks, the complaint said. The officers informed Barnes about the legal steps he would need to take to evict his wife, to whom he’d been married for 17 years, and prevent her from being in the house.
It was around that time that Barnes’ wife tried to walk inside, and Barnes “rushed to the door to try and prevent her from going in,” the complaint said. “Barnes then pushed (his wife) into the storm door with great force in front of police, attempting to keep her out of the house.”
Barnes, 39, was arrested and charged with assault and battery of a family member. The crime is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. It was not known Tuesday if Barnes has an attorney, and he didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment or attend City Council’s work session Tuesday evening. Barnes’ estranged declined to comment when reached by phone Tuesday.
Barnes was released on a $1,500 bond shortly after his arrest, and is scheduled for an arraignment on Dec. 17 — the same day that a recount will be conducted to determine if he can retain his council seat.
Barnes, who was elected to council in 2020 and previously served on the city’s school board, sought the recount after finishing only 21 votes behind Bill Dodson Jr. in the November council election.
A checklist for bail in Barnes’ court file indicated he has pending charges for dissemination of images, and threats made over the phone. His estranged wife was listed as the victim in both incidents.
Barnes’ arrest Sunday was his second within a matter of weeks, with both involving domestic violence accusations. The first occurred Nov. 12, and involved his daughter.
Police said they were dispatched around 7:45 p.m. that day to the 4000 block of Deep Creek Blvd., which is less than a mile from Barnes’ home on Boat Street. A witness told officers she was driving when she heard a female screaming for help, and saw a female with a backpack being dragged by a man.
Barnes was arrested and taken before a magistrate, but was released after the magistrate did not find probable cause to support a criminal charge.
In 2008, Barnes was charged with felony child neglect after he was accused of placing an 11-year-old boy into a scalding hot bath. Barnes, then 21, was working as a caregiver with Holiday House in Portsmouth.
The charge was dismissed after a judge agreed to give him a deferred finding, which allowed Barnes to keep a conviction off his record by staying out of trouble. Barnes kept up his end of the deal, and the judge dismissed the charge more than a year later.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com