Bogen found guilty of domestic violence

Published 8:02 pm Thursday, July 16, 2015

Brantley Councilman Lorey Bogen has been found guilty of two counts of third-degree domestic violence after Thursday’s trial in Brantley Municipal Court.

“This is a kangaroo court,” Bogen said after the verdict. “I told you I wasn’t going to win in there. I’ve got to appeal it to someone else. Everything’s going to come to a head, sooner or later.”

Bogen was charged with two counts of domestic violence last May. His first count of domestic violence stemmed from a disagreement with his wife. Bogen said he asked neighbors to call 911 during an argument. When he tried to leave home, his wife took the keys to his vehicle.

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“I said, ‘If I can’t leave, neither can you.’ But, I didn’t have keys to her vehicle so I was going to punch her tires out,” Bogen said.

Brantley Police Officer Terry Mears responded to the incident. He said Bogen was charged with domestic violence because the tool he planned to use to puncture the tires could have harmed Amanda Bogen, who tried to block the tires and thwart her husband’s attempts.

Lorey Bogen said he was never actually going to puncture the tires and did not harm his wife.

The second charge of domestic violence was related to an incident that allegedly occurred a week earlier. Amanda Bogen said her husband hit her in the face with an unopened can of beer. While Lorey Bogen was in custody, Amanda Bogen signed a warrant for his arrest.

Bogen said the allegations are false and part of a conspiracy to undermine the work he has done as a councilman.

He was charged with third-degree domestic violence in July 2012. The case was later dropped.

Bogen hoped he could remain out on bail pending his appeal of Thursday’s ruling, but the court ordered him to turn himself in by 8 p.m.