PRINCETON, WV – A woman from Princeton is facing charges after a domestic incident last week. On Friday, July 5, 2024, Mercer County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to an emergency call in the Courthouse Road area of Mercer County.
At the residence, deputies found a man, Joshua Karnes, on the front porch. Karnes said that a woman, Joann Coates, had hit him in the face after drinking. He described the incident as “just the normal craziness.”
Karnes showed signs of injury, with blood around his nose and visible redness. Deputies found Coates in the basement, and she showed no injuries. Coates claimed that nothing physical had happened between them.
When deputies told Coates she was being arrested for Domestic Battery, she became loud and argumentative, claiming she had been punched and needed medical attention. Deputies noted it was too late to change her story and pointed out her lack of injuries.
Joann Coates was arrested for Domestic Battery, processed at the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, and transferred to Southern Regional Jail to await arraignment.