Discreet talk in Walmart bathroom leads to woman’s rescue from abuse, NE cops say

A woman trying to escape her boyfriend was rescued thanks to a Walmart worker, Nebraska authorities say.

Justis Don Barnhouse, 31, is accused of repeatedly strangling his 47-year-old girlfriend and was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 28, the Gage County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The woman, who is a Kansas resident, wanted to escape the abusive relationship and tried to get her belongings out of the camper they lived in so she could return home, but “Barnhouse did not let (her) leave for the past two days,” according to deputies.

He also took away her phone so she couldn’t call for help, the sheriff’s office said.

But on the day of Barnhouse’s arrest, the couple went to a Walmart in Beatrice, and the girlfriend got the attention of a store employee and asked them to meet her in the bathroom, deputies said. Once there, she told the worker about the abuse and that “Barnhouse had previously strangled her 5 to 6 times this afternoon,” and the worker called authorities.

Deputies arrived at the Diamond T Truck Stop Camper Row, near Beatrice, at 5:45 p.m. and arrested Barnhouse on charges of assault by strangulation and domestic assault, officials said.

He is still booked in the Gage County jail as of Nov. 2, jail records show.

Non-fatal strangulation is “one of the strongest predictors of homicide in abusive relationships,” according to domestic violence experts.

Beatrice is a roughly 40-mile drive south from Lincoln.