BY KEITH EPPS

A Fredericksburg man was arrested Thursday after being accused of robbing and assaulting a woman he used to date.

Spotsylvania County sheriff's Capt. Mike Harvey said the incident occurred about 1 a.m. in the 5900 block of Danielle Drive in Spotsylvania.

The 21-year-old woman reported that she was attending a party there and decided to leave after the suspect wouldn't stop bothering her.

As she attempted to leave, Harvey said, the suspect spit at her and poured a bottle of wine over her head. When she got into the passenger's side of a vehicle, Harvey said the suspect tried to pull her out. He couldn't get her out, but he forcefully took her purse.

As the driver was pulling off, Harvey said the suspect threw a wine bottle at the vehicle, breaking the windshield.

The suspect was gone by the time deputies arrived, but he was found later in the day. The victim's purse was recovered but some of its contents were missing. Witnesses said they saw the suspect throwing things as he was leaving the scene, police said.

Darnell Leon Mitchell, 32, is charged with robbery, attempted abduction, assault and battery and throwing a missile at an occupied vehicle. He was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

The woman was not seriously injured.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com