Police say El Paso man assaulted woman, forced her to join him at job interview at jail

EL PASO, Texas – El Paso police say a 23-year-old woman was held at gunpoint and forced to accompany her captor to a job interview at the Otero County Jail.

Police arrested 25-year-old Matthew Joseph Contreras of El Paso on Monday just before noon. He's charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to court documents obtained by ABC-7, the woman and man were in a relationship and had been living together for three years.

The document states the woman told investigators she awoke on Sunday to find Contreras going through her phone. The victim says Contreras accused her of cheating on him.

The victim says Contreras punched her, kicked her, pointed a gun at her, pointed a kitchen knife to her throat, splashed bleach all over her body and went so far as to cut her hair with the kitchen knife. At one point the victim says Contreras placed the handgun in her mouth.

The victim says she denied she was cheating but that only upset Contreras more. The documents point out the victim pleaded with Contreras to stop, but things got so bad she said, "Just kill me already."

Investigators say Contreras forced the victim to go with him to a job interview at the Otero County Jail. The two drove to the jail with their nearly two-year-old son in the back seat. That's when they were stopped by an officer for speeding.

The officer cited Contreras but did not make contact with the victim. According to investigators, Contreras instructed the victim to keep quiet.

When the couple arrived at the Otero County Jail, Contreras went inside the building. That's when investigators say the victim took the opportunity to flag down a detention officer to ask for help.

Other Otero County deputies responded to the scene. The woman was taken to University Medical Center for treatment.

Contreras was booked on a $100,000 bond. He was released Monday after posting bond.

For help getting out of an abusive relationship, call 915-593-7300. The hotline is open 24 hours a day.