See more of our coverage in your search results.
A football fan who went viral for reportedly tying his wife to a chair and locking her in the basement so he could watch Sunday Night Football upstairs in what’s blown up as a viral story — but cops say it’s a concerning case of domestic violence.
Terry Ward, a 64-year-old decorated war veteran and West Point grad, is facing felony abduction and assault charges after allegedly keeping his wife restrained in their Richmond, Va. home for 30-45 minutes on Oct. 11, according to a police report obtained by The Post.
A Facebook group called Virginia Statewide Incidents went viral for claiming he tied his wife up so he could watch football.
He appears to be a New England Patriots fan.
Officers from the Richmond Police Department were called to the couple’s $675,000 semi-attached brick home around 11:30 p.m., and spoke to Ward’s wife, who said her husband lashed her to a chair with tape and kept her downstairs, the report said.
An officer noted that she had tape markings around both of her arms, police said.
Ward admitted “that he did indeed tie his wife … to a chair and place her down in the basement,” cops wrote in the criminal complaint.
The Richmond Police Department was unable to confirm whether Ward was watching football while his wife was restrained when asked by The Post.
However, the police were called around the time that the Baltimore Ravens- Atlanta Falcons game ended in overtime.
Ward is a West Point graduate who served in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm, where he received the Bronze Star, according to a since-deleted profile on the company website for Alcova Mortgage, where he worked.
An image posted by Ward’s wife on social media shows her beaming beside Ward in his military fatigues when he returned home from combat.
Ward is a father of two grown children, and his family’s social media pages are filled with photos of them having a great time together over the years.
One photo from several years ago shows Ward and his wife in a hot tub, with Ward in a Patriots cap.
Ward was arrested after the Sunday night incident and charged with felony abduction and misdemeanor assault of a family member.
He posted a $20,000 bond the following morning.
Ward was ordered to avoid all contact with his wife and stay 1,000 feet away from their home on Maplewood Avenue, according to court documents.
He’s additionally been told not to leave Virginia, must submit to drug and alcohol testing and refrain from possessing a firearm.
Ward did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.