The NASCAR Cup Series crew member has been indefinitely suspended; Team comments
On Thursday, Joshua Paul Long, 31, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was charged by the Salisbury Police Department and booked at the Rowan County Detention Center with no bond amount set.
The couple visited the Twin Peaks restaurant in Concord, North Carolina. That’s where an argument began. The argument reportedly started with the victim requesting to see Long’s snapchat account.
On the way home, police stated that the victim was beaten on Interstate 85 as they drove home. Amazingly, the police stated that she attempted to jump out of the window of the moving vehicle in a desperate attempt to escape.
They returned home to the 1200 block of Beachnut Lane in Salisbury, North Carolina. That’s when things intensified.
The victim was able to briefly escape to a neighbor’s house but knocks to the door went unanswered. Long then dragged her inside of a house where he allegedly beat her with a broom handle.
The victim sent an SOS text message to her mother during the altercation. The mother then called police and informed them of her daughters location.
Police approached the scene with caution. Upon arrival, they called the cellphone of the alleged assaulter.
The victim was treated on site by the Rowan County emergency medical staff. She was then transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.
Previously, Long was charged with misdemeanor false imprisonment back in 2013.
SOS emergency contact helped in the case
Police were able to reach the scene due to an SOS feature on most cellphones. The button sent an alert message with location to the emergency contact.
“This can be used for anything — if you fall and get hurt and need help, if you’re being abducted or being assaulted and don’t want anyone to know that you’re secretly sending an SOS message,” Police Lt. Greg Beam told the Salisbury Post.
“It’s a quick and easy way to send a request for help without alerting anyone that you’ve sent a message.”
“In this case ,it was extremely valuable,” Beam said. “The victim was able to send an SOS message to her mother, and the mother was able to contact 911 and alert police to the situation.”
“Police were able to respond and resolve the situation. Without the use of the SOS button, it could’ve been a lot worse,” Beam concluded.
NASCAR suspension / Germain Racing comments on the Josh Long
The suspect was a member of a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team. He worked on the No. 13 car driven by Ty Dillon. However, he has since been suspended by NASCAR.
On Thursday, the NASCAR crew member was suspended indefinitely in violation of sections 12.1 as well as 12.8.1.e.
Additionally, the team has removed Long as an employee of the company. They issued a brief statement:
“Germain Racing leadership is aware of the investigation involving Joshua Long, and the alleged actions do not align with the conduct standards that have been set for team members,” the Germain Racing statement announced.
“At this time, he is no longer an employee of Germain Racing. The team has no further comment on the situation as this is an ongoing police investigation.”
Ty Dillon is competing at Kentucky Speedway this weekend. He was 32nd in the final practice session.
