Police: Joliet man slammed girlfriend's head against wall during argument

JOLIET – A Joliet man tried to prevent his girlfriend from calling the police when they got into an argument that became violent, police said.

On Thursday, Matthew C. Nero, 31, of the 2900 block of Nancy Vallera Lane, refused to leave the residence of his 25-year-old girlfriend when they got into an argument and she told him to leave, Joliet Deputy Police Chief Ed Gregory said.

When Nero’s girlfriend was trying to call 911, he grabbed her cellphone away. He then allegedly grabbed her head and bounced it off a wall several times, Gregory said.

Nero left the home with his girlfriend’s cellphone, Gregory said.

The girlfriend made her way to a friend’s house and called 911. When officers arrived, they found her with blood on her face, Gregory said.

“Her teeth were loose and there was blood around her teeth and mouth,” he said.

Joliet police found Nero and arrested him at 6:01 a.m. near Reed Street and Glenwood Avenue.

They found a pill on him that is considered a controlled substance, Gregory said.

The victim refused medical treatment.

Nero was charged with domestic battery, theft, possession of a controlled substance and interfering with a report of a domestic violence. He was booked into the Will County jail at 7:29 a.m. Thursday.

Nero also faces a parole violation charge. He was sentenced to the Jacksonville Correctional Center on May 5, 2016, for possession of a controlled substance and aggravated battery. He was released on parole in October.