OKC Woman Survives Brutal Attack After Allegedly Being Lured To Back Road

A woman barely escaped with her life after being lured down a gravel road in Cleveland County.

By the time detectives tracked down the suspect, Preston Barnard, they found out he was already in jail on 11 felonies in Oklahoma County on an unrelated case.

Now, he’s facing two more felony charges for the recent assault in south Oklahoma City.

The alleged attack happened back in late January, but Preston was recently charged.

Investigators said the victim told them that two men came to her door, and said they had property that belonged to her husband, and they needed a ride to pick it up.

Police said the victim’s husband is incarcerated and she believed Barnard.

She got in her car and drove Barnard to Southeast 156^th Street and South Sunnylane Road, which is technically a gravel road in rural Oklahoma City, even though it’s in the middle of Moore.

“He directs her down a gravel road where, just out of the blue he begins beating her savagely. She gets the car stopped; he tells her he is going to beat her. He is going to kill her. He is going to shoot her. He is making all sorts of threats, while he is beating her,” said MSgt. Gary Knight of the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Somehow during the assault, the suspect fell out of the car, and the victim tried to drive off.

“She tried to drive away, but not before he was able to pull a gun, put it to the back of her head, fired a shot, grazed her head, but thankfully did not impact directly with her skull,” said Knight.

The bullet hit the headrest, and the woman called 911.

She was able to tell them about the man, and days later police discovered he was already in custody for stealing cars and weapon violations.

“That man was and that he was sitting in jail. He has since been arrested on another charge, so he was already behind bars,” said Knight.

Police said the woman's eye was swollen shut, but she did not have life-threatening injuries.

The motive for the alleged crimes remains unclear.