A man who forced his way into an ex-girlfriend’s home last year pleaded guilty about an hour before jury selection was set to begin Tuesday.
Tilford Barfield III, 24, pleaded guilty with the help of Public Defender Chad Crowl at a hearing Tuesday morning before 5th District Judge Bill Miller at the Bowie County courthouse in New Boston, Texas. Barfield’s case was scheduled for jury selection the same morning.
Barfield made multiple phone calls to the mother of his baby Dec. 13 that she refused to answer, according to a probable cause affidavit. The woman told detectives she had asked one of her older children to lock the door but the child had only fastened a security chain.
That allowed Barfield to open the door enough to talk to his former girlfriend. The woman told police Barfield offered to take the baby for a few hours so she could get some rest. The woman said Barfield pushed his way into her residence when she removed the chain and that he began shoving her down a hallway.
The woman said she hit and bit Barfield but was unable to stop his unwanted sexual advances. The woman said Barfield had her locked with him in a bathroom and had pulled her pants down when she hit him with a glass. The glass shattered, cutting the woman’s hand and Barfield’s head.
When Barfield stopped his attack after being cut, the woman was able to call for help. When officers arrived, they noted blood and broken glass in the bathroom and Barfield was taken to jail.
Assistant District Attorney Lauren Richards said Barfield agreed to accept a 10-year prison sentence with the understanding he may be returned to Bowie County during the next six months and placed on a 10-year shock probation. Shock probation allows for a short prison stay which will hopefully “shock” an offender with no previous history of criminal conduct into a life of law abiding behavior.
However, if Barfield is a disciplinary problem while in prison, Miller could deny his petition for shock probation.
