FRANKLIN — A disturbing confrontation in Franklin is getting attention after a man allegedly took matters into his own hands when his mother told him she had been abused by her former boyfriend.
Desirk Williams is accused of confronting his mother’s ex-boyfriend after she complained that the man had abused her.
According to allegations surrounding the incident, Williams forced the man to remove his clothing before taking him outside. Once outside, Williams allegedly beat the man with a belt as the confrontation unfolded near neighboring homes.
The unusual scene reportedly attracted the attention of people living nearby, with the disturbance occurring outside and within view of the surrounding neighborhood.
The confrontation was allegedly triggered by claims from Williams’ mother that her former boyfriend had abused her. It was not immediately clear what she said happened, when the alleged abuse occurred or whether police had previously been contacted about those accusations.
A neighbor who witnessed part of the confrontation said the disturbance quickly drew attention on the normally quiet Franklin street.
The neighbor recalled seeing Williams bring the man outside with little or no clothing on before the confrontation continued in view of nearby homes.
“Everybody started coming to the windows because you could hear all the commotion,” the neighbor said in a reconstructed account. “Then we saw this man outside with hardly anything on and another man had a belt. At first, nobody really understood what was happening.”
According to the neighbor, people watching from nearby homes later learned that the confrontation allegedly began after Williams’ mother told him her former boyfriend had abused her.
“Once people heard what he was accused of doing to his mother, everybody started putting two and two together,” the neighbor said. “But seeing somebody get brought outside like that was still shocking. That’s not something you expect to look out your window and see.”
Authorities have not released enough information to independently confirm the full sequence of events or the extent of the former boyfriend’s injuries.
The incident could also result in separate legal consequences for Williams. Even when someone believes they are protecting or defending a relative, retaliating against an alleged abuser can lead to criminal charges.
Police have not publicly disclosed whether anyone else involved in the dispute is facing charges.
This is a developing story. We’ll bring you additional information as it becomes available.
