A Whitefield woman has been arrested and charged with assault after she allegedly bit and kicked and jumped out of a window.

JennyLee Rines, 23, of Whitefield, was arrested after a reported scuffle over a familial disagreement.

On Nov. 16 in Whitefield, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Dennison responded to a reported domestic assault case.

Upon arriving at the house, Dennison heard from one of the alleged victims, who is a relative of Rines and reported being attacked. The woman stated that Rines bit her, and she showed Dennison a five- to six-inch-long bruise.

Dennison was also shown a window where Rines allegedly jumped out of the house.

Dennison went to the back part of the house, where the window had been smashed, and talked with a man at the house, who claimed that Rines also assaulted him. Dennison wrote in his report that the man's eye was swollen and the area around it was bruised.

When Dennison spoke with Rines, she reported said that her boyfriend was giving “illegal tats” and when she confronted him, he reportedly grabbed her by the throat, at which point she reportedly struck back.

When asked why she bit her family member, Rines allegedly told Dennison that she was protecting her boyfriend.

Rines was arrested shortly thereafter and charged with the two counts domestic violence assault and the singular criminal mischief charge, for breaking the window.

She was ordered not to have contact with either of the two victims and to not return to the scene of the crime. She will also be subject to random searches and tests.

All three charges are classified as Class D crimes, which are misdemeanors and punishable by up to 364 days in jail.