Man Faces Charges in Mauldin Beating

A Greer man faces a third-degree assault charge after he allegedly beat and injured a Mauldin man last month after catching him with his ex-wife, a Mauldin police report said.

Michael Dwayne Thompson, 37 , of Greer, faces a third-degree assault and battery charge for the beating, which occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Miller Road, the report said.

According to the report, Thompson had been hiding in a breezeway waiting on the victim to emerge then confronted him in the parking lot. He then allegedly struck him with his fist, knocking the man to the ground and repeatedly punched him, causing a "severe laceration" to the man's lip and a swollen left eye, the report said.

The victim, who is dating the suspect's ex-wife, alleged Thompson had also assaulted him once in Greer, but had dropped the charges against him, the report said.

The suspect, who left the scene after the incident, was later arrested when he was summoned to the police department to speak to an officer about the incident, the report said. Thompson told police he was "being led on by his estranged wife" and was furious that she spent the night with the victim, the report said.

The suspect reportedly admitted to waiting on the man to emerge from the apartment and confronting him. He told police he punched the victim only after the victim "squared up to him," which he took as a threat, the report said.

Thompson was taken into custody and has since been released on bond.