Pair of socks sparks assault, arrest in Sonora

SONORA -- Police arrested a Sonora man after they said he attacked a woman who went to retrieve a pair of socks from his girlfriend.

According to Sonora police, Laura Mansfield, 22, of Sonora went to an apartment in the 200 block of Greenley Road on Monday night to retrieve a pair of socks from a woman. While at the apartment, Mansfield and the other woman got into an argument.

The woman's boyfriend, Timothy Barlass, 19, of Sonora, charged Mansfield and punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground, police said. Then Barlass continued to punch and kick Mansfield while she was on the ground, at one point grabbing her head and slamming it into a door, police said. Witnesses said the attack left Mansfield unconscious.

The attack happened "for no apparent reason," according to a news release. Mansfield was taken by ambulance to Sonora Regional Medical Center. Barlass was contacted and taken into custody without incident.

He was booked at the Tuolumne County Jail on a felony charge of battery resulting in great bodily injury.