Man Brought Hostage To Job Interview, Police Say

A man in Texas has been arrested after allegedly abusing and forcing his girlfriend to attend a job interview with him.

Matthew Contreras, 25, according to KVIA, a station in El Paso, reportedly held her captive, physically abused her and brought her along to a job interview with him at a jail in El Paso.

Contreras and the 23-year-old woman were in a relationship and reportedly had lived together for the past three years, KVIA reported. In 2020, the National Statistics Domestic Violence Fact Sheet said that, on average, "nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States."

On March 13, the 23-year-old woman said she woke up as Contreras was going through her cellphone.

The station reports that Contreras believed that the victim had been cheating on him and was searching for proof, an assertion that that woman says is untrue. However, Contreras kept the woman captive and inflicted physical abuse upon her.

Court documents, KVIA states, show Contreras punched and kicked his victim, even aimed a gun at her. To make matters worse, WHIO, a TV Station in Dayton, Ohio, reports that, at one point, Contreras actually put the gun in her mouth. He also held a knife to her throat and also cut off pieces of her hair with a kitchen knife.

Contreras wasn't done with the abuse. He also poured bleach on her body.

The mistreatment became so severe, KVIA says, that the victim, at one point, told Contreras to "just kill me already."

He then took her and their two-year-old son with him to a job interview at a county jail. However, as they were on their way, Contreras was stopped for speeding. KVIA says that Contreras, prior to the encounter with the officer, told the woman to remain quiet. The responding officer did cite Contreras for speeding, but the situation with the 23-year-old was not uncovered at that time.

Contreras, the woman and their 2-year-old son did eventually arrive at the county jail for the interview. After arrival, Contreras went inside the jail and at this time, during his absence, the woman got the attention of an officer for help.

The woman was transported to the hospital for treatment. Her condition was not made available at the time.

In a release from the El Paso Police Department, they state that on Monday, March 14, just before noon, they were made aware of a possible kidnapping. After looking into the situation further, police learned that the woman had also been physically abused.

Contreras was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. KVIA said Contreras was released from jail after he posted bond.

Newsweek reached out to the City of El Paso for further comment and further information but did not hear back before publication.

Specialists from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) sexual assault hotline are available 24/7 via phone (1 (800) 656-4673) and online chat. Additional support from the group is also accessible via the mobile app.