A North Carolina woman named Robin Deaton was arrested after allegedly locking her boyfriend for days inside a storage unit for days without food or water. She was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping. After reporting the incident, however, her boyfriend is trying to back out of his accusations, claiming he had fallen asleep and that Deaton had locked him inside by accident.
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Gary Oxendine, the man who reportedly spent days inside a Cooper Storage unit in Monroe, reportedly told authorities that he had fallen asleep inside it. This contradicts the initial 911 call where Oxendine claims that Deaton locked him inside a unit for days since Thursday, February 20. This was confirmed to PEOPLE by Morgan Malone, a public information officer and lieutenant with Monroe Police Department.
Moreover, Oxendine himself talked with WSOC and stated that the charges against Deaton were a mistake.
"It's just a bunch of bogus charges. I mean she shouldn't be up there charged with attempted murder, attempted kidnapping," Oxendine told the station.
Bogus Charges
Reportedly, Deaton left Cooper Storage to get something to eat for both of them. She closed down the storage unit, according to Oxendine, without her knowing he was inside at all. According to him, he had fallen asleep and didn't hear her calling for him before leaving.
"She thought I had gone with an ex-girlfriend," Oxendine added. "That's what it all boils down to, and I hadn't. She said she came the next day but I sleep hard and I fell asleep. I had been up working for a couple days."
Lieutenant Malone shared a statement with PEOPLE, saying that it is common for victims of domestic violence to retract their testimonies.
"The detectives followed the facts of the case with corroborating evidence to support the charges," Malone said. "The charges have been filed and the case has been turned over to the District Attorney's Office. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a domestic violence victim to recant their initial testimony."
911 Call
Reportedly, Gary Oxendine spent four days inside the storage unit before he managed to find his cell phone. He would call 911 shortly after, claiming that his girlfriend, Robin Deaton, had locked him inside.
"I've been locked in a storage unit for about a week now, and I've just now found my phone," Oxendine said during the call, as per PEOPLE. "My girlfriend locked me in here. She double-locked my lock, and I don't know how she put me in here but she put me in here."
Lieutenant Malone said that Deaton allegedly told Oxendine to grab something from the back of the storage unit. She had instructed him to retrieve something, to which he complied. Suddenly, Deaton, according to Malone, closed the unit's door while saying, "This is what you get."
Malone stated that Oxendine had no water or food and that this was the first time in 15 years that he had seen an incident like this.
"If we had been in the heat of the summer, or the super cold of the winter, this would be a whole different story," Malone added. "I do think this is an important reminder that men can also be victims of domestic abuse."
