Married Virginia man, 64, accused of tying wife to a chair in the basement so he could watch Sunday Night Football upstairs faces abduction charges

A 64-year-old Virginia man, Terry Ward, was arrested after his wife told police he had taped her to a chair in their basement while he watched a football game upstairs. The allegation has drawn attention both to the charges he faces and to online reactions that have treated the reported domestic abuse as a joke.

Police say Ward admitted tying his wife to the chair, and officers noted marks and tape markings on both her arms. She told them she believed she had been restrained for 30 to 45 minutes. Ward faces felony abduction and misdemeanor assault charges involving a family member, and is due in court on 10 November in Richmond.