Woman says man attacked her after she helped him carry beer

A 33-year-old Chattanooga man is in jail today after a woman said he attacked her in an extended-stay motel on Rossville Boulevard midnight Sunday.

The woman told police she gave Stephen Ponikarski a ride to The Hamilton Inn, at 2717 Rossville Blvd., from a gas station across the street where he worked.

She said she met him when he was just getting off work and that he said he was a friend of her former boyfriend. He asked for a ride because he had a large amount of beer he was trying to take back to the motel, the woman said.

She agreed to give him a ride and helped him carry the beer up to his room. Ponikarski started to drink heavily, and when the woman tried to leave the room he blocked the door and told her she could only leave if she kissed him, she told police.

When she refused, Ponikarski grabbed her and forcibly kissed her, then pushed her down into a chair and hit her in the mouth, she said. The responding officer noted she had a small cut on her lip.

The woman said she was able to push Ponikarski away, run and call police.

Ponikarski was charged with assault, sexual battery and false imprisonment. He is being held in the Hamilton County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

Court records show this is the first time he has faced criminal charges in Hamilton County.