Man held without bail in incident

A 21-year-old Johns Island man is accused of punching, kicking, choking and stabbing a woman early Wednesday, then driving her to a hospital with a made-up story about the two of them having been robbed.

Cedrick Novotny Simmons of Lincrest Road is charged with assault and battery with intent to kill. According to the arrest warrant and incident reports from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, the victim drove to Simmons' home. The couple have two children together but were not seeing each other, the report said.

According to the reports, events unfold this way:

Simmons suggested they go for a drive in her car. During the ride, Simmons kept trying to get the victim to pull off into dark areas. She refused to do so, but eventually he said he was going to be sick, so she pulled over.

When he leaned his head out the window, the victim noticed he was wearing dark gloves. Simmons suddenly struck her on the head and started slicing at her with a knife. She jumped out of the car. Simmons stopped the car, got out and kicked, punched and stabbed her. When she screamed, he choked her and dragged her back into the car. She jumped out again and started running, but Simmons caught up with her and threw her in. Simmons said he would take her to the hospital if they could agree on a story. She agreed because she wanted him to take her to a hospital.

At the hospital, Simmons told staff that he and the victim had been robbed, but the woman later told Medical University of South Carolina Public Safety officers that the robbery story was fake and that Simmons had assaulted her. MUSC officers contacted the Sheriff's Office.

At a bond hearing Wednesday, Charleston County Magistrate Linda Lombard ordered that Simmons be held without bail at the county detention center.