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Man Charged After Woman Beaten, Set Afire

A Northampton County man has been charged with attempted murder after his girlfriend was beaten with a crowbar, whipped and set on fire, authorities said.

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Reuben Carawan
GARYSBURG, N.C. — A Northampton County man has been charged with attempted murder after his girlfriend was beaten with a crowbar, whipped and set on fire, authorities said.

Reuben Carawan, 48, of 1207 N.C. Highway 48 North in Garysburg, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury and assault on a female. He was being held without bond in the Northampton County Jail.

Carawan's girlfriend was assaulted in the home they share on the evening of Sept. 4 and early hours of Sept. 5, authorities said.

The woman, whose name wasn't released, was "tormented by being kicked and stomped and beaten with a crowbar and whipped with a leather belt," Capt. Daryl Harmon of the Northampton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Lighter fluid was poured on the woman, and she was set on fire, Harmon said. The woman was able to crawl to the bathtub to douse the flames, he said.

The woman suffered severe internal injuries and second-degree burns and remains in Halifax Regional Medical Center.

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